Once Upon a Child
by YulianaHenderson
Summary: Jane and Lisbon have been ignoring each other for months. Not only they are suffering but the team as well. What kind of miracle do they need before the stubborn two realize the true extent of their feelings? Well, maybe their child from the future... Jisbon, kind of strange and maybe AU but decide for yourself. Rated T to be safe. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter One

**A/N: I know, I KNOW. I should be finishing The Great Mr. Jane but you know what? I'm already trying to finish the next chapter as we're speaking, so. This story is just written for a bigger part and I just couldn't wait to show you anymore. I personally love the idea and I didn't think of it myself - one of the most awesome people on Tumblr, so.**

**But okay, I hope you enjoy the first looks of this story!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.**

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**_'Once Upon a Child'_**

**_Chapter One_**

It was tense. Everybody that stepped into the bullpen of the SCU could feel the tension. The silent fight between Agent Teresa Lisbon and her consultant Patrick Jane. You really didn't need to ask for more information to know what was wrong though – it was a well known fact what was bothering both.

Van Pelt sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It was as though all of them were walking on egg shells, it was dangerous to make a comment about anything these days. Neither would go as far as to kill someone because of a misplaced comment, but you could still feel their eyes boring into your back if you did..

Especially Teresa Lisbon's. Because she might have pretended as though she was invincible but she's really not. Everybody knew she was heartbroken, even though she claimed she didn't feel like that, and even if she was, 'she had no right to feel like that because she and Jane would never play house'.

Van Pelt huffed, then frowned and blushed as she realized that she had done that out loud and not just in her mind.

It was true, though. If Lisbon would say that one more time, Van Pelt would huff and huff until she realized that she had all right to because _she was in love with him_.

But Van Pelt supposed a miracle had to happen before these two realized that fatal piece of information.

"What's the huffing and puffing for, Grace?" Jane asked. She shook her head and smoothed down her hair again.

"Nothing. Just... no, it's nothing. Forget it."

She didn't hear him anymore after that.

After looking at a blank screen for half an hour, she was done with being bored. They had a case but nothing seemed to work and they couldn't find anything and these moments were always the hardest. Just when she was about to get up and make a short walk through the building, Lisbon stormed into the bullpen.

Van Pelt wasn't surprised when she heard two relieved sighs – Rigsby and Cho.

"I think we got a breakthrough," Lisbon said, but the team already was on their way to pack their stuff.

Lisbon frowned a bit, but didn't question her team. She knew that they knew that wasting time explaining things in the bullpen could lead in the breakthrough disappearing.

"Where?" Cho asked. Lisbon gave him the directions, and Van Pelt remembered that building as being a warehouse.

Lisbon took Jane with her, while the rest went with Cho.

Van Pelt realized that the stubborn teens-in-love's drive was going to be majorly awkward, while the team had all the space to discuss them. Not that they did, they were silent as well but the possibility was there.

They arrived at the building without having said anything significant and joined with Jane and Lisbon. She gave more instructions and while all four of them went inside, Jane leant against Lisbon's car to wait for them to come back.

After clearing the warehouse, they found no one was there and Lisbon cursed under her breath.  
"Okay, back to the office," she ordered, and the three nodded.

That was when her attention was drawn to a seemingly moving box at the other end of the hall.

"Boss," she said and Lisbon turned around.  
"Yes?"

"That... box is moving."  
Lisbon frowned, probably doubting Van Pelt's sanity but then moved to where she was pointing, her gun drawn again.

She pushed the box away and they were met by a young boy.

Van Pelt immediately noticed that he looked... familiar, she couldn't exactly explain it. He was knelt on the floor. His hair was dark brown, curled but not excessively so, gentle curls she supposed. He looked to be around seven or eight years old, a dark blue backpack on his knees.

His eyes were wide when he saw Lisbon and Van Pelt. Almost as if he recognized them.

Neither of them said anything. The boy reached into his backpack and took out what seemed like a picture. Nobody looked at it though.

"Who are you?" Lisbon asked, gently. The boy shook his head.

"Where are you from?"

"The future."

What? Now Lisbon and Van Pelt were really confused, if they weren't already. Lisbon kept her cool.  
"Where's your mommy, little man?" Lisbon asked. The boy frowned faintly and then raised his hand to point at Lisbon. Both women looked at each other.

"Uh..." Van Pelt managed to murmur.

"Boss?"

They were frozen to the floor for a few more seconds, before turning to the person that asked for Lisbon's attention.

It was Rigsby.

"Who is this?"

Lisbon's mouth opened but no words came – Van Pelt had a similar expression.

"I... I don't know..." Lisbon stammered.

Rigsby motioned for the boy to follow him, not knowing what the problem was yet. When they walked away, Van Pelt and Lisbon's eyes crossed.

"That's weird," Van Pelt breathed. Lisbon nodded.

"I... I'm not his mother. I don't know why he thinks that but it can't be. I would know that, wouldn't I?"

Van Pelt nodded. "And let's not forget that he said he's from the future."

Lisbon shook her head to clear her thoughts, and then seemed to notice the photo that was still in her hands.

She raised it quickly and observed it. Then shook her head again.

"What is it?" Van Pelt asked. She wished she hadn't asked.

It was a picture of Jane and Lisbon, staring into each other's eyes. It was visible they had aged, they didn't look as young as they did now – now that Van Pelt thought about it, it could very well be true that they were seven years older. And between them... a boy. _That_ boy.

Van Pelt gasped.

"Do you... mean that he was right? Is he really from the future?"

Lisbon shrugged and stormed to the exit of the warehouse. Van Pelt ran after her and they found the boy outside, looking at Jane with the same expression as he had had when he was looking at Lisbon.

Jane and Lisbon's eyes crossed.

"Where are your parents?" Rigsby asked, still not knowing what was happening.

The boy grabbed Lisbon's hand and pulled her with him to Jane, jumping into him and Jane only barely managed to catch him.

"They're here!" he exclaimed, and wrapped his arms around Jane's neck.

For the first time in all the years that Jane had been working with the team, he was confused.

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**A/N: I'm planning on making this story majorly fluffy. For what I've written so far, I think more than 80% is fluff. So you can try to adapt to that, I suppose. There will be Angst, but let me guarantee you, it won't be much. But hey, Jisbon isn't the only feature in the show, so if you think of the other important thing that's in the show now, then you will know what I will also focus on. After all, it can't all be hearts and flowers, but okay.**

**Let me know if you like it so far, in the form of reviews, follows or favorites, it's all very much appreciated!**


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: Skipping the Author's Note, but thanks for reading and here's the next chapter! Happy Valentine's Day! ^^**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.**

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**_'Once Upon a Child'_**

**_Chapter Two_**

"What... what do you mean... we're your parents? We're not-"

"No, you're not now but you are in the future," the boy said, gently patting Jane's head. He said the words as though they were one hundred percent right and it made complete sense – which it didn't, obviously.

"But..." Jane whispered, and looked at Lisbon. She averted her eyes as soon as their eyes crossed.

"What is your name?" Jane asked without thinking about it. Really, everybody knew it was the best thing to do now since they had to make the boy feel at ease – especially since 'his parents' were here.

The boy chuckled – apparently, it was funny that his parents didn't know his name.

"Jordan," he said and chuckled again, pressing his cheek against Jane's.

If Jane hadn't been holding the boy then he would maybe be confused but the only thing he could think about was: this child is mine. This child is Lisbon's. _This child is ours_.

He couldn't quite explain why but that thought made him very happy, even if he could still not comprehend how the hell this boy was here.

Though for some reason, he just couldn't deny that he believed this boy when he said that they were his parents. He knew he was stupid but it was true. At least one of them had to believe it, and judging from the way Lisbon was looking at the boy with this distinctive look that said it all, she didn't believe a word he was saying.

"Let's bring him back to the office," Cho said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Jane and Lisbon stared at each other for a few more seconds before nodding and following the rest.

This was going to be one hell of an adventure.

~OnceUponaChild~

"So he's saying that he's from the future?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And you believe him?"

"No, I don't, Sir."

"Then why is he here?"

Lisbon swallowed and averted her eyes. What was she supposed to say? 'I'm not sure, Sir, but I have this feeling that he _is_ my son though I can't explain it'?

That would make her sound completely ridiculous.

And even if she managed to make him believe that she was absolutely sure he wasn't her son, she couldn't just let him go. He didn't have parents to go to, he hadn't told them about either of them.

LaRoche kept staring at her with this expression that was typically _him_ – unbothered, full of himself. Much like Jane looked all the time, though LaRoche made a creepy version.

"And he says he's your son." It wasn't a question, and Lisbon knew it. The boy had been sticking to either Jane or Lisbon ever since he arrived at the CBI and if anyone asked, he would answer the exact same thing time and time again.

_They are my mommy and daddy!_

Which eventually led to Lisbon refraining from talking to the boy before there was any confirmation that he was in fact their child. She didn't believe it, not one bit. She couldn't explain how he had gotten here, even if she could believe a small part of his story. As soon as she couldn't explain things, they weren't real.

She nodded.

"And you believe him?"

She groaned. She wanted to say 'no' but fact was, she did believe him. Or maybe some deluded part of her heart did. Her head didn't.

She eventually decided that shrugging was the best option now.

"Have you tried a paternity test?"

"But Sir, he says he's from the future. Why should we believe him when he says he's-"

"Agent Lisbon, do you really want to stoop as low as to not believe a seven year old boy?"

"Of course not, but-"

"Then why would you refrain from doing a test?"

She shrugged again, now less confident than she was feeling at first. She was running out of legit arguments as to why she _shouldn't_ try a DNA test. Just because she supposed she believed him didn't mean that she should have confirmation.

"Tell Agent Van Pelt to get you a paternity test."

Lisbon swallowed, and shifted in her seat.

There was nothing more she could do about it. She knew he was right, and she knew that even if _he_ wasn't right, _Jane_ would probably be. And despite all that he'd done to her, she would believe him instantly.

She didn't know if she would be able to deal with the fact that she and Jane would get a child together. Because in her world _right now_, that wasn't in the list of things she wanted – or was it?

~OnceUponaChild~

"So... what do you want to drink, Jordan?" Jane asked. The boy shrugged and jumped on the couch as if he had done so for the past seven years or so. Which maybe in his time was true, but obviously not here.

"Lemonade."

Jane nodded, and looked at the boy for a little longer, observing as he settled on the couch just like he himself would do, then went to get some lemonade. He didn't even know for sure if the CBI had such things in the fridge, he had never seen it before but then again, he never looked at that part of the fridge since the only thing he drank was tea and he only needed milk for that.

While pouring water into the plastic cup, he could see from the corners of his eyes that Lisbon walked into the bullpen with a clear expression of distress on her face. He smiled a bit – at least she didn't bother pretending that she was happy with this situation.

He walked back into the bullpen with the cup of lemonade in his hands, and found Lisbon struggling to say something.

After handing the enthusiastic boy the lemonade, Jane decided he didn't want her to suffer more than necessary.

"LaRoche wants us to do a test."

Lisbon hesitated a bit, looked at Jordan and then nodded.

"What's the problem?" Jane asked.

Lisbon shot him a pointed glare. "Jane," she pressed out.  
He raised both his arms. "What?"

"You really don't get what's going on here, do you?"

"Of course I do."

"Then why are you so calm about it? He could be _our_ son. _Ours_," she said, putting way too much emphasis on the last word. "That doesn't concern you?"

"Not really, no."

"Why not? Why are you so freaking calm about it? Do you_ want_ us to have a child?"

He went quiet then, and Lisbon sucked in all the words she wanted to say. They weren't the only ones who were quiet though, everybody in the bullpen was.

Jane and Lisbon were everybody's favorite couple, even though they weren't an official couple. Yet.

Seeing the two argue sure as hell was better than them ignoring each other.

"I, uh... Grace, could you get us a DNA test?"

Van Pelt nodded and went to send out emails. Jane looked at Lisbon who skillfully avoided him, and when he noticed she really wasn't going to look at him, he walked up to the couch and sat down beside Jordan.

Lisbon stormed to her office, slamming the door behind her.

Jordan's legs did go over the edge of the couch, but only barely. He was small for his age, and that was probably due to Lisbon's genes. He couldn't think of anything else since he was quite large, or at the very least of average length.

The boy looked perfect. His dark brown hair laid in soft curls on the top of his head, his sea-green eyes poking into the cup to see the lemonade disappearing. He was holding it with both his hands, probably because he was afraid of spilling anything if he didn't hold it like that.

Jane was just in time with stopping his wistful sigh from leaving his mouth.

"Daddy?" Jordan asked, and Jane startled a bit.

The last time he'd heard that title was... he wasn't going to think about that now.

"Yes?"

He could see Van Pelt frowning from her place in front of her desk but she decided not to comment on it.

"Are you and Mommy fighting?"

It took a few seconds before Jane realized the true extent of that question.

"No, Jordan, we are not. It may seem like it, but we're not. I promise."

He nodded. "I believe you."

"Good."

Then, Jordan handed the cup to Jane and jumped off the couch, retrieving something from his backpack. It was an envelope.

He gave it to Jane and jumped beside him.

Jane frowned but handed the cup back to Jordan and opened the envelope, starting reading it.

_Hello past me,_ it said in curly handwriting. Definitely his.

_You must trust Jordan. It's important. I know that I wouldn't trust him either at the point you're at now but I trust myself to trust my son. (Yes, he really is your son, tell LaRoche and Grace to forget about that darn test. Just think about it: how likely is it that Saint Teresa would sleep with anyone? Okay, forgetting about Mashburn but I think you get my point)_

_I know it really doesn't make any sense at all at this moment, and I understand that. But Jordan is really from the future, seven years to be precise. Well, no, eight years. You and Teresa are just too stubborn to do anything with your feelings in your time._

_But okay, back to the point. Scientists created a time machine and though I know this sounds ridiculous, do you have any other explanation? I thought so._

_This is not a test, because it has been proven that it's working. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that we need to alter the past a bit. And with that I mean, you have to kill Red John instead of merely putting him in prison._

_The way it is now, Red John is still forming a threat for me, Teresa and Jordan, and it's getting way too dangerous. You might think he would stop after so many years but he already attempted to take Teresa and Jordan so I don't want to take the risk._

_Teresa convinced me to put him in prison because at that time, it sounded logical but that might have had something to do with the circumstances, I'm not sure. But now I regret it, even Teresa regrets it._

_Thing is, we can't kill him now. Not without one of us ending in jail and we don't want that. Not only because of Jordan but also not because we can't be separated from each other._

_So follow what Jordan tells you and _trust him_. I want you to trust him._

_He'll tell you where to look for Red John, if we instructed him correctly. I'm sure that you're wondering why we didn't go ourselves, well, that would look weird wouldn't it? And you know as well that Teresa wouldn't survive a second you or a second _her_ and that it is more likely for her to give in and believe all of this with a boy – you know she loves children._

_Oh, and Grace probably wants your attention now so you'd better stop reading._

_I knew you wouldn't, though. Anyway, make sure to kill Red John, okay?_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Your future self._

Jane rolled his eyes. Well, at least he still had his wits in the future.

He looked at Jordan who was now trying to read with him – which he probably couldn't, if the way he frowned was any indication.

"What does it say?" Jordan asked. Jane took in a deep breath.

"It's, uh... it's a letter from the future me."

"Oh! Does it say anything about me?"

Jane chuckled, and nodded. He was just going to ignore that the boy for some reason understood everything that was happening now. "Yes, that you've been very naughty."

"No I haven't. Mommy says I am a good boy."

Jane smiled. That didn't surprise him at all.

"Uh, Jane?" Van Pelt tried to interrupt and that reminded Jane of what his future self had told him. He smiled, and turned towards her.

"Hmmm?"

"You can go downstairs to Forensics. I explained the situation and they don't believe it but want to test it anyway. The problem was basically Lisbon. Because most tests are to determine the father, not the mother. You would think that mothers know if a child is theirs but okay, since you don't know... They have this DNA test they use to determine whether a victim is someone's child."

Jane nodded. "They expect us now?"

She nodded too. When he got up, she did too.

"Don't tease Lisbon about this, please. You don't know how hard this is for her."

"Oh, but I do know."

"No you don't, but that's alright, I suppose. Just be understanding. Because you might enjoy this, but she doesn't. She still doesn't know whether to kill you or hug you after all you did these six months." And that was four months ago, Jane added in his mind. She nodded, as though she had heard him, then pressed her lips into a firm line. "Good luck."

"Thank you." Jane looked at Jordan who was already rushing off to throw the used cup away. He then picked up his backpack and went to stand beside Jane, grabbing his hand.

"Let's get Mommy now," Jane blurted out, and though Jordan seemed amused by this since it was probably how he acted all the time in the future, Jane needed a few moments to get his thoughts straight. This was going to be tough.

~OnceUponaChild~

To say going to Forensics for the test was awkward was an understatement.

Jordan seemed to enjoy it. For some reason, he felt at home and Jane immediately assumed that the future him and Lisbon brought him with them to work a lot of times, causing the little boy to consider the CBI his second home.

It didn't surprise Jane at all. Okay maybe he was surprised Lisbon had agreed with it as well, but at least he didn't show it.

Jordan had tried to explain the situation to the people from Forensics but Jane guessed they stopped trying to comprehend it after a few minutes and just started testing.

Thirty minutes later, the three of them were sitting around a table, waiting for the test results to come back.

Lisbon was staring in front of her, lost in thoughts, which made Jane curious what she was thinking about. The fact that in the future, they appeared to be together? Or that they had actually... done it in the future?

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and looked at Jordan who had gotten a little notebook and a few crayons from the Forensics people. Jane leaned in a bit to look at the drawing.

"What are you making, Jordan?" Jane asked.

"You and Mommy and me," he answered, matter-of-factly without taking his eyes off the notebook. Jane looked at Lisbon but she was still thinking things through.

"Well that looks beautiful," Jane said, and Jordan looked up now, his smile bright and a clear smaller version of Jane's 1000-watt smile.

No matter what the results said, Jane could get used to this little man being his son.

Smith from Forensics who had taken the samples exited the lab and walked into their direction.

Lisbon jumped up which surprised Jane, because he thought she was lost somewhere.

"And?" Lisbon asked, expectantly. What was she expecting, actually? Wasn't she thinking a few moments ago that she definitely did _not_ want to have a child with Jane? She hated him with her guts, then why should she want to do all of that with him?

No, she didn't want a child with Jane, that much was obvious.

But that didn't explain the anxious expression on her face. She was curious but nothing could be explained now.

Smith took a while to look at the clipboard he was holding, then looked up at the three.

"This little man is in fact your son."

Jordan smiled, Jane froze and Lisbon's mouth fell open.

"It's still weird though," Smith said. The other two adults didn't know anything to say so Jordan took the liberty of answering Smith.

"Okay, thank you!" he said cheerily, and grabbed Jane and Lisbon's hands, pulling them into the direction of the elevator.

Lisbon changed staring at nothing particular to staring at Jane with this unreadable expression.

"Teresa," Jane whispered, and she shook her head.

"It can't be," she said, rather determined. So obviously she still didn't want to believe this.

"But it _is_ true, Teresa."

"What if I don't want this to be true? Is this some sort of sick joke of you to earn back my trust or anything? Because it's not working, let me tell you that. Jordan can't be from the future, it doesn't make sense, and he can't be _our son_. It can't be."

"Why not, Teresa-"

"Because I would never lower myself to sleeping with you!"

Ouch. There was the slap he had been anticipating for months but the one that had never actually come.

He took in a sharp breath, and Lisbon averted her eyes.

That's when Jordan decided he didn't like his parents fighting and wrapped his arms around Lisbon's waist.

"Don't fight," he whispered against her hip.

Lisbon swallowed and looked down at him. Her eyes crossed Jane's, and she swallowed again.

"Okay, Jordan," she whispered, rubbing the boy's shoulders to calm him down. "No fighting, I promise."

Jordan smiled gently and pulled Lisbon closer. She sighed quietly and bent her knees and picked the boy up.

Jane knew from experience that the boy wasn't heavy but he wasn't light either, so it kind of amazed him Lisbon didn't seem to have any trouble with carrying Jordan. Once the bad ass cop, always the bad ass cop, it seemed.

Jordan squirmed in her arms though, making Lisbon move towards Jane. She did though, not wanting to drop Jordan, but she didn't do it of her free will, that much was clear. When Jane was close enough, Jordan reached out and wrapped an arm around him as well, pulling him closer until Jane and Lisbon were excruciatingly close.

Jane could see the panic in her eyes and his heart clenched. She really didn't know whether to trust him or hit him hard.

Just then, the doors of the elevator opened and Lisbon almost fell backwards with the force she used at putting as much distance between her and Jane as possible.

She fled from the elevator with a speed that hurt Jane. Was she... _scared_ of him? It seemed so.

He rushed after her and saw she had slowed her pace a bit and walked into the direction of her office, not bothering with explaining it for the team since they probably already knew anyway.

"Teresa," Jane called after Lisbon, but she slammed the door behind her. He saw how she put Jordan on his feet and the boy jumped on the couch, pulling up his legs against his chest and embracing them with his arms. He didn't seem pleased and Jane could understand why – Lisbon had told him that she and Jane wouldn't fight and yet that was what they were doing right now.

Jane opened the door, she hadn't locked it, and carefully stepped inside.

"Teresa, let's talk about this-"

"What is there to talk about, Jane? All I know is that you're trying to hurt me time and time again and I'm sick of being hurt. I don't want to be angry at you but hell, you make that bloody difficult."

"Teresa, wait a minute." She paused in her ranting and sat down behind her desk. "This isn't any of my fault, Teresa. I don't want to hurt you, why would I? I hate it when you are this sad. If I would deliberately hurt you I might as well kill myself because it just hurts when you're hurt."

She swallowed but averted her eyes.

"Jane..."

"No, Teresa, you may believe everything your beautiful mind is telling you, except for the fact that I would want to hurt you because I _don't_. I don't know about you but I am happy with the thought that we, in some faraway future, get a child together."

She shook her head. "No, you're not. You just tell yourself that."

"Yes, I tell myself that because it's _true_. Teresa, I love you, okay. And you may hit me, punch me, kick me, as many times as you deem necessary but _don't_ push me away. We have a child to look after now."

"Is that the only reason you'll stick with me?"

"What? Of course not! Teresa, what is going on with you? Do you really think that I would be so selfish?"

"Yes, actually I do."

And there was the slap again. Jeez, Teresa Lisbon could deliver punches.

"Well you're wrong."

They went silent, and Jane sighed, walking to the couch and sitting down beside Jordan. The boy now had his head on top of his knees, gently swaying back and forth. Jane wrapped an arm around him but he flinched away from him.

So Jordan obviously didn't like that his parents were fighting right now.

Jane looked up at Lisbon who had covered her head with both her hands.

"Teresa," Jane said, softly, and she lifted her head. He waved with his hand to indicate she had to come closer to him, and she did hesitate for a few minutes, before she got up and crossed the floor, standing in front of him.

He put his hands on her hips, seeing her eyes close either to prevent him from seeing the hurt or stop herself from becoming too attached to this.

"I would never want to hurt you, Teresa, even though I did. I regret it, so much. I wish I could do something to make all the tears un-cried but I can't. I can't do anything about it. I hurt you, the damage is done, but all I'm asking for is that you'll allow me to take care of this, of us, of Jordan. Just because it started off strange doesn't mean we can't still try it. I love you. That's all that's important."

She took in a deep breath, then gently pushed his hands off her hips and smiled faintly at the little sound he made when he lost his touch on her. She moved to sit down beside Jordan, and wrapped her arms around him.

"No fighting anymore, okay?" Lisbon whispered in his ear, and he slowly nodded. She sighed and pulled him onto her lap. He straddled her legs and wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in the crook of her neck.

Jane scooted closer to Lisbon, hesitating in his next move.

He knew what he wanted to do, but he didn't know if he would be able to keep his hands if Lisbon didn't want him to proceed.

Just when he had made up his mind, Lisbon scooted closer to him and put her head on his shoulder.

"Just don't leave, Jane. Do everything you want to do but don't go away. I won't be able to survive this time if you leave."

He nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her even closer. He pressed a soft kiss onto the top of her head.

"I will stay with you, Teresa. No matter what."

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**A/N: Yeah, I ****_could_**** have stretched that for a lot of chapters but I just couldn't. I mean, there are still some things for them to figure out, like how are they gonna take care of a son, they don't even have a proper family house and they're not used to having to look after someone so there's still some stuff to discuss. And of course there's the whole Red John thing so trust me. With writing now, I'm at Chapter Five and in my opinion, it's still interesting but that's my opinion ^^**

**Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter or of this story in general in a REVIEW, or fav/alert it, thank you!**


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N: I know my muse asked me to write something about the team and Jordan interacting, but it's not happening yet, dearie, I'm sorry. This chapter is just full of somewhat domestic Jane and Lisbon. I'll promise I'll look and fit it in somewhere, okay? ^^**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, unfortunately. I would know what to do with the show, though, if it ****_was_**** in fact mine. *wink* Jisbon *wink* M-rated *wink* making babies on his couch *wink***

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**_'Once Upon a Child'_**

**_Chapter Three_**

Jordan had been busied once again with paper and crayons, while Jane and Lisbon were trying to work around the highly awkward situation.

So they had a child together. Well, not yet but in a very near future, they would conceive one and that made them both uncomfortable.

It didn't have anything to do with want or need, but with it being possible. Because they both knew that giving in to these lingering feelings could get both of them killed.

The team wisely avoided the three in Lisbon's office, only coming in to ask if they could leave – which was earlier than usual. And that wasn't a surprise.

The problem was that Jane and Lisbon had a child, and they had to take care of him but the only thing they seemed to be able to do was fighting and that didn't soothe Jordan.

The main thing they had to do now was either separate since it would only lead to arguing or try to find a way to manage a truce.

They weren't sure which option was the best now. Nothing seemed to be okay. They couldn't just go and forget about the past few months, and these long six months before that. They were both far too hurt for it, she perhaps more than him, but they were still both very much hurt. Taking care of Jordan and acting like the happy little family they _could_ be would be like dismissing all these feelings, all these months. They hadn't behaved like they had before for almost a year.

Lisbon sighed and put her pen down.

"What do you want to eat, Jordan?" she asked. She hadn't thought of it before she had asked it, which wasn't a good thing. She was still used to order take-out from that Chinese restaurant a few blocks away from her apartment, and that wasn't exactly healthy and nutritious food for a seven-year-old.

Jordan looked up from his drawing. Shrugged.

"I don't know... fries?"

Lisbon rolled her eyes. She didn't know that much about children but she did know that that was a typical children's answer. Her brothers had given these very same answers too when she had had to look after them.

"Anything not greasy, please."

Jordan pouted, and Jane turned his head towards Lisbon, he too was pouting.

Oh god, she wasn't going to survive these two.

"Come on, Teresa. We had a strange day, let us at least have something unhealthy to make up for it."

"You know, there is lots of food that isn't unhealthy that's tasty."

"Like? You're not going to feed us spinach are you?"  
"It does make you stronger, you could use that-"

"It doesn't, actually."

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we're not eating fries. What about broccoli?"

Jane and Jordan pulled a face and she rolled her eyes again.

"Okay fine. Pizza?"

"Yay!" Jordan exclaimed, clapped in his hands before continuing drawing again. Jane smiled warmly at Lisbon, but she just shook her head and averted her eyes.

"Your home or mine?"

"What home do you have again?"

Jane sighed, and nodded. "Okay, your home then. Can Jordan sleep in your bed? Then I'll sleep on the couch."

They both knew it was the truth. He didn't have anything to offer. All he was, was shit and trouble. But he couldn't help but try and give her something. Anything. Just something that would make her realize that he meant every word of what he was saying.

He didn't want to fight with her. He'd never wanted to fight with her, not even the very first day he met her.

Sure, that first moment, she had been attractive, and she still was. But he had been too caught up in his red fog to really _notice_ her. In the weeks, months, years even that followed that day, he had started to notice her. Her natural beauty, but especially her eyes. Her eyes... he got a tingling feeling inside his belly. He couldn't even recall how many times her eyes had featured in his dreams – the dreams that weren't filled with bloody faces on walls and butchered bodies.

She was unbelievably beautiful, and not just her eyes, of course. He wouldn't say this out loud, but he was head-over-heels in love with her. He just couldn't help it.

Then, he froze. He knew what he could give her. Why hadn't it crossed his mind before? He was stupid.

He got up, surprising both people present and crossed the floor, turning around Lisbon's chair and pulling her up into his arms, not flush against him but close enough to feel her breath against his face.  
Her eyes widened but he didn't give her a moment more to pull away and put more distance between them. He linked their lips, putting one of his hands in her neck, preventing her from running away, except she didn't. She cupped his cheeks and deepened the kiss, sighing into his mouth.

He felt her opening her mouth and that was when his heart made several somersaults. He nearly devoured her mouth, playing a dance with her tongue that he hadn't thought he would do with her.

Her arms left his cheeks and she wrapped them around his neck, he dropped his hands to her waist and pulled her body closer against him, closer, so close he almost had the feeling he was crushing her but still, she wasn't close enough. After almost a minute of kissing without any disruptions, she gasped, sucking in his air and he smiled breathlessly.

She came to her senses and gently pushed him away. She smiled though, weakly but she smiled.

He brushed her cheek.

"Do you believe me now?" he breathed. Her smile intensified, and she shrugged.

"I'm not sure."

He rolled his eyes. Ah. So she was going to play this game. Well, he was too flushed to play that game too. "I'm not kissing you again."

She pouted, but he linked their hands and softly tugged. "Let's go get that pizza now."

She nodded. "I know how to make them myself, though. That's better."

"Woman, if you want me to lose weight, then just say it. I'll happily run a bit to get rid of that extra-"

"Yeah sure. Just come with me and let me feed you. And stop whining like a little girl."

He pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

"You coming, Jordan? Mommy is going to poison us."

Which, of course, earned him a slap upside the head.

He loved this teasing, though. Finally, he had the feeling that he was happy for the first time in a decade. He felt full of love, and much _in_ love, because that was what he was now, and had been for a long time.

He loved her. Every nerve in his body screamed for her, her touch, her attention. He could finally give her what he had wanted to give her all these years – love. His love. He could focus on her, instead of the ghosts of his late wife and child.

~OnceUponaChild~

Jane watched Lisbon preparing the tomato sauce. He appreciated the way her body moved, like a graceful ballet dancer, dancing around in her kitchen. He had never seen her this graceful, she always hid it behind her tough-as-nails cop stance, but he appreciated he still got to see it once.

He did notice that she still wasn't entirely comfortable with the situation, and he understood. He wasn't either. But he was the one in this 'relationship', if that was really what he could call what he and Lisbon had now, that wanted all of this to happen. The very first moment Jordan had said that they were his parents, there was this swelling inside of his heart, this undying hope that it was true, even if it couldn't possibly be explained logically.

He sighed and leaned back into the couch. Jordan was sitting beside him, satisfied that his parents weren't fighting, for the first time since he'd come here.

Jane felt weird, light-headed. He hadn't felt like that in years. Now that he came to think about it, he hadn't felt like this since he was a teen, madly in love with Angela.

And now he was in love with Lisbon. And it didn't feel weird at all. All these years of telling himself that it was irrational, that it wasn't meant to happen and he could never touch her the way he wanted to touch her – it had all been for nothing. Because you couldn't trick your own heart and mind. It was impossible. He wouldn't have been able to believe his own lies, even if he had continued like that for another ten years. It would only hurt more.

He clutched at his chest and gently rubbed it, getting a curious gaze from Jordan. Jane shook his head, waving it off.

"Just butterflies," Jane whispered in Jordan's ear, and the boy rolled his eyes.

"Daddy," Jordan almost mocked, "you know that butterflies are in your belly and not in your heart."

Jane chuckled, forgetting to lowering it down a bit, causing Lisbon to turn around with a similar curious expression as Jordan had had moments before.

"What's going on back there?" she asked, licking tomato sauce off her finger. Jane shrugged.

"It's, uh... it's tingling inside of me. Butterflies. They must feel a certain person is around here," he said simply. Jordan chuckled, and Lisbon blushed. She quickly turned back to what she was doing.

Jane's eyes crossed with Jordan's and the boy smiled again. Jane got up and walked over to the kitchen. He saw Lisbon frantically trying not to be bothered but she dropped a spoon when he almost pressed his body against hers.

"Jeez, Jane," she muttered but before she knelt down to pick up the dropped utensil, he had her pressed against the kitchen counter.

"Jane," she breathed. "Jane, I'm hungry, I want to finish this-"

"You'll finish it," he said and linked their lips in a brief kiss. Even though she hadn't instigated the kiss, she did whimper a bit and he smiled an evil smile.

When he pulled away, he stamped his foot a bit, pouting and Lisbon frowned.

"I'm bored. I'm bored _watching_ you cook. Now I want to join you."

"Well, feel free but cut down on the pepper, okay? And you need the supervision of a _responsible_ adult when you're working with ovens, Jane, so don't do anything rash."

He nodded like a good boy, smiling at her with his charming smile.

They did manage to finish the pizzas faster than Lisbon would've done on her own, which made her wonder why she had decided to do it all alone. But then again, they still had to fall into a comfortable routine and she wasn't used at all to cooking, not to mention cooking for other people.

Jane turned out to be a really good cook. He knew exactly how much spices to add to everything they made for the pizza, and Lisbon knew to keep him if only for the cooking. Which was a strange thing to think, for if he would leave her, she would die a miserable death. She wouldn't find someone like him ever again.

Post-dinner was awkward again, though. Jane and Lisbon might have kissed a few times, they still weren't even remotely close to being boyfriend/girlfriend let alone parents. And they did both love children but having the knowledge that this kid was from the future and was their kid was still not quite helping with the situation.

Eventually, they let Jordan decide what he wanted to do. It didn't come as a surprise that he wanted to watch a movie, and though Lisbon doubted this was okay, Jane just huffed and waved it off, claiming it wasn't a school's night for Jordan since he didn't go to school now so he could stay up later.

Jordan didn't last for half an hour, though. He fell asleep against Lisbon's shoulder.

It was the first time that Lisbon felt protectiveness wash over her for him. This little boy was her son and he was now in his weakest moment, asleep, not able to protect himself from bad people.

She instantly got reminded of the days in her past, holding her brothers to her chest when they were scared of the thunder, even though she was scared as well. She did seem to have that soothing and safe effect on people.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked next to her, seeing Jane looking at her with a warm look.

"Is it just Jordan that's tired?"

Lisbon shook her head, softly.

He nodded, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"Jane?"

"Patrick," he corrected. She swallowed.

"Patrick... are we... I mean... after these, uh... these kisses... are we now..."

Jane smiled softly again.

"We are what you want us to be, Teresa. No pressure. We won't force a relationship if you're not ready for it. This morning we were still fighting so if you don't want to change what we already had then that's fine."

She closed her eyes briefly. "It's... that... I..."

He didn't interrupt her, even though it hurt to see her struggling for her words. He had the feeling that he knew what she wanted to say, but as he had already observed, she had much more trouble with adapting to Jordan and this changing relationship of her and Jane.

_She_ had been the one doubting for six months whether he hated her. _She_ had been the one having to endure watching him kissing another woman.

He could say that he was hurt, but it wasn't half as much as what he had put his little angel through.

She had experienced too much heartbreak in her life, to admit that she was in love with him made her vulnerable and an easy prey for people who wanted to hurt her. If his observations on her past had been even remotely correct, then he knew she wanted to protect herself from any harm people could do to her.

"I..." she kept struggling, then groaned in frustration, grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him in for a kiss, a brief one considering she didn't want to wake Jordan. When she pulled away, she closed her eyes again.

"I love you, Patrick," she whispered, her sweet breath touching his face, and he smiled out of pure happiness. He brushed her cheek and she opened her eyes.

"And it's going to be strange, but I want to try. Not just us but us with Jordan as well."

He nodded, and brushed her cheek again.

"I love you too, Teresa."

And Jane saw a happiness in her eyes that he hadn't seen in them ever since Jordan had showed up. As though all was right in their little world.

~OnceUponaChild~

Jane had suspected that he would be the first one asking if he could sleep in Lisbon's bed, but much to his surprise, he heard her voice from the top of the stairs not even half an hour after they had retired to bed, whispering.

"Patrick?"

He smiled a bit, before he got up and came to stand at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes?"

"Would you... mind sleeping with us?"

"I wouldn't at all."

He rushed to the living room to turn off all the lights, then quietly climbed the stairs to meet Lisbon at the top. He hadn't seen her since they had said their goodnights and he had retreated to the couch and she to the bedroom to get changed. So he hadn't seen her in her pajamas yet, which he instantly didn't get since she looked... marvelous. Not Lisbon-like at all but still beautiful – she always was, after all.

She was wearing a white nightdress, with little green dots and a little green bow in between her luscious breasts... he stopped himself from going further. But he did notice her unbelievably perfect legs appearing from under the nightdress due to the dress barely covering her butt.

She smiled faintly at him, probably knowing the effect she had on him and he cursed the little devil. He didn't complain though, just walked after her into the bedroom to find Jordan peacefully asleep.

"I still had some nightwear my brothers used to wear when they were little. I'm so glad I didn't throw it out," she whispered. He nodded.

She was about to lie down in bed, when he stopped her. He couldn't just get to sleep like this. He wasn't done yet.

He fondly brushed her cheek, and she swallowed, awash with feelings.

She stepped closer, went on tip-toe and linked their lips into a sweet, gentle kiss, no tongue, just lips. His arms went to brush her back, and she moved closer and closer, until their bodies were flush against the other. This kiss was unlike the others they had had so far – which had been either passionate or brief. This was so much more. Just them, and the love they felt for each other.

He pulled away from her lips with a soft smacking sound that sent shivers down his spine, but it warmed his bones, his heart, his whole being. He couldn't stop brushing her body, feeling how thin she actually was through her white nightgown.

He kissed her again, and again, leaving her mouth for a few seconds, only to come back as well. They stood like that for a lot of moments, brushing their lips against the other's, before a soft sob escaped her.

He immediately pulled away and looked down at her to find the cause. There were tears burning in her eyes. He reached up and wiped them away.

"Is this... is this real, Patrick?"

He swallowed. Did she really think he wouldn't see this as real? Just as a stepping stone? He didn't even know what plan he could use her for, except for providing her with as much happiness he could – and for him as well. He was selfish, sure, but he wouldn't be selfish, for her sake.

"Teresa... it has always been real. I've never had illusions about that. Ever since I noticed that I'm in love with you," he whispered, and the breath softly caught in her throat as he said the words, "I've always known it was real. I didn't want it to be true, I was afraid, but it has always been real. Always."

She took in a deep breath, and nodded. A small tear escaped her eye, and she caught it herself.

He pulled her to him, then closed his eyes.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe me, Teresa?"

She shook her head. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head against his chest.

"It's not that I don't believe you, because I do, trust me. I..."

"You're afraid," he added when she didn't say anything, and she nodded.

"Not of you-"

"But of your feelings." He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, then pulled away slightly to look at her face. "People have let you down before... many times. Your mother, even if it wasn't her fault. Your father. Your brothers, in a way." She didn't look comfortable that he was seemingly reading what she was thinking, but it had to be done. "Several boyfriends, best friends in High School... You're afraid that I will let you down too."

"Dammit, Jane," she murmured. She pushed him away a bit, but he wouldn't let her.

"Teresa, I want you to know that I will never let you down. What we have now... it's more important for me than everything else is. How can I convince you?"

"I don't know," she admitted, and he sighed, then nodded his head. He kissed her forehead, then let her walk out of his arms.

He watched as she climbed into the bed, careful not to wake Jordan and he instantly followed her, lying down beside Jordan at his other side.

She had a king-sized bed, that gave all three of them enough space to sleep.

He slowly put the comforter over them until they were covered up to their chins. It wasn't that cold but it felt wonderful, being this close.

"Teresa?" Jane asked after a while, and she grabbed his hand, giving him enough consent by a single gesture.

"Did you mean it when you said that you don't want a child with me?"

"I didn't say that. I said that I wouldn't lower myself to sleeping with you."

"Same principle. Did you mean it?"

She shook her head immediately, then closed her eyes like it was the only thing she could do these days.

"I didn't... I... My mind is a mess, I'm sorry."

He squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Teresa. Sleep for now. I will be there tomorrow. And Jordan too. We will both be there."

She nodded and closed her eyes. He couldn't stop himself from brushing her cheek until she fully fell asleep.

"Love you both," he whispered and pressed a kiss to Jordan's forehead, before settling himself as comfortable as possible to watch over these two beauties.

Not that _he_ lasted long.

~OnceUponaChild~

Jane couldn't remember having ever been so rested after a night.

He was used to insomnia by now. He hadn't suffered from it before they had died but he supposed that was his own fault then. Ever since they had passed away, he just couldn't sleep, and even if he did, his dreams were filled with butchered bodies and red smiley faces on the wall.

Now, for the first time in ten years, he had actually dreamt about something nice. Teresa Lisbon with a rounded belly, her eyes filled with happiness and love while she pulled him in for a sweet kiss.

A beautiful baby crawling on the floor, then falling over because she was still too young. Chuckling for endless minutes because of it.

Cornering Lisbon in the kitchen and stealing a few quick kisses from her.

It was strange though. He hadn't had these dreams before. And he didn't know how to interpret them. Was his mind telling him things? Of course it was, it always was. He couldn't even trust his own mind, but for once, he didn't care.

He took in a deep breath through his nose, inhaling Lisbon's scent that was buried deep down in the pillows and sheets.

For the first time in ten years, he felt like a happy man. And he didn't hate himself for it. Perhaps that was the biggest surprise. He didn't regret falling in love with Lisbon, where he _had_ regretted it the past few years since he'd found out.

He opened his eyes and looked straight into green eyes. Not the green eyes that featured in all of his dreams when he felt lonely or sad, but different green eyes.

Jordan's green eyes.

Jane smiled, sleepily.

"Hey there, little man," Jane croaked, his voice still heavy of sleep. Which was a strange occurring since he had woken up over thirty minutes ago, but he supposed that his body just wasn't used to sleeping.

"Morning Daddy!" Jordan exclaimed, and Jane flinched. "Sorry..."

"No, it's okay, Jordan. Really." He pulled the boy in for a 'manly' hug, which once again surprised him because he himself wasn't all that manly.

Of course, he had his masculine moments. For instance, when he was feeling overly protective over Lisbon, he figured that that was quite a manly thing to do. Treating her like the damsel-in-distress she was sometimes.

But apart from that, he never really acted all that manly. Not that he wanted to per se, or needed. But he supposed that was the man he wanted Teresa Lisbon to have, protective over her even though she didn't need it at all.

He sighed and ruffled the boy's hair with one fist, the other keeping him in place against his chest. Jordan chuckled.

"Mommy is making breakfast, do you want some too?"

"Of course I do."

Jordan smiled brightly and jumped off the bed, leaving Jane in the bed. But not for long. Jane got up, rubbing at his chest again and walked down.

He was immediately met with the sweet scent of French Toast and his smile intensified. He found Lisbon in the kitchen, baking like she had attempted last night.

He had to tell her that she could sleep in from time to time since he would then prepare breakfast.

He really felt happy. When he saw Lisbon, caught in concentration, he felt like a giddy teen in love - _again_. His heart fluttered when she smiled softly while probably recalling a sweet moment, without him noticing.

"You're already becoming one of _these_ moms," Jane said, and she jerked around, almost dropping everything she was holding.

He chuckled, and she narrowed her eyes.

"_These_ moms? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you would wake up at four to give your little family a tasty breakfast. It really is not healthy. And haven't you heard of emancipation? Women are not only useful for housekeeping anymore."

"You know, that's _not_ the problem. I don't trust you in my kitchen yet. Just because you managed to make pizzas with me yesterday doesn't mean that I should hand you the fate of my poor apartment. You could burn down the place for all I know."

He chuckled, clutching at his chest, feigning hurt.

"I would never do something like that."

"No, sure you won't. I just don't trust it yet. And anyway, I like cooking and baking. I haven't done this for a while, it feels great." She smiled brighter and continued what she had been doing before he joined the kitchen.

Jordan jumped on the couch to watch some cartoon – now that Jane looked better, it was SpongeBob SquarePants. That had been Charlotte's favorite show too. He smiled a soft smile.

Jordan had been the force that had pulled Jane and Lisbon together. It would've taken another ten years if this strange thing hadn't happened. He was glad.

He shook his head to pull himself out of his reverie and focused on Lisbon again.

Should he push her against the kitchen counter again? Or just pull her into his arms and revel in her warmth?

Meh, that wouldn't satisfy his needs.

So he walked into the kitchen and before he could even attempt at pushing her against something, she had him pushed against the fridge.

He let out a small gasp of surprise but it didn't last long. She linked their lips and he was so happy his firecracker took matters into her own hands that he completely forgot about everything else around him and pushed her body against him in an almost crushing matter.

He smiled against her mouth and put one of his legs in between hers, skillfully turning around their positions and she groaned.

He could feel the teasing mood disappearing when Jane's hands started roaming her body, and her hands followed his initiative.

Within seconds, the brief kiss was a passionate one, their tongues performing a heated dance while their hands moved to get closer but didn't succeed.

"Patrick," Lisbon breathed in-between kisses, but he wouldn't listen, abandoned her lips to kiss the skin in her neck. "Jordan."

He froze, panting into her ear for a few seconds, before he smiled softly and pulled away slightly.

He looked at Jordan, who had left watching the cartoon to stare at his parents.

Lisbon blushed fiercely but Jane just smiled.

"Hey, at least we're not fighting," Jane said to Jordan, still a little breathless. The young boy just shrugged and looked back at the TV.

Lisbon's hand found its way to the base of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss again.

They were still breathless so they didn't last long with this kiss.

He just pulled her in for a tight hug instead.

"Oh, how much I love you, Teresa," he breathed into her hair, and she sighed contently against the fabric of the vest of his PJs.

They stood like that for a few minutes, before Lisbon jumped away from his as if burned. Just when he was about to question her, she ran to oven and took out what she had been preparing.

"Oh my god, I'm never kissing you again, they almost burned."

He rolled his eyes.

"I'm assuming that if I want to continue kissing you, I'd just have to get used to the fact that you do random stuff?"

She smiled, and nodded. "Seems fair to me. You keep on doing random things as well."

And he just smiled smugly at her.

* * *

**A/N: I know I changed their relationship pretty fast, but it's all part of a plan, I swear. Just think of the reed why there's a link to the color 'red' in every episode title and you'll know what plan that is. And anyway, they've been turning around it for years already, it was about time they would make this shift, wasn't it? Anyway, thank you for reading this chapter, let me tell you what you think, and see you for the next chapter! I'm gonna try and upload faster, now that all my other running stories are finished. (Oh I probably have to warn you that next chapter is gonna be slightly M-rated... but I kept it very vague, so no reason for cold feet! It's not like I'm trying to become the new Little-Firestar84 or Rothelena after all...)**


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N: Okay so the end will be slightly M-rated but I've got these moments okay. It's not smut, though, but I do admit that it enters M territory. So if that's not really your cup of tea, as Jane might say, then I suggest you stop reading when Jane and Lisbon start making out in her apartment in the end of this chapter. And for questions: no I couldn't keep it completely T, I'm sorry. They are both adults and I didn't want them to have a 'holding hands' relationship. That's just too childish, they're way too mature for that even though they don't act like that often. They're not fifteen anymore, sex is just sex alright. (and yes, I'm allowed to say this as a seventeen year old who is still a virgin – just because I don't have experience with it doesn't mean that I can't say anything about it)**

**So, all the warnings have been made? Good! Allons-y, chapter four!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.**

**_'Once Upon a Child'_**

**_Chapter Four_**

"We should tell them," Cho said.

The team had left earlier because of a reason, not just to avoid the little family that was now reunited; they had received something and they weren't sure what to do with it.

Van Pelt groaned and looked at the letter again.

"But they are happy now!"

"How do you know? They were fighting when we left," Rigsby argued.

"Yes, but I know them well enough to know that they are never able to fight for long."

"Then how do you explain the past four months?"

"They were just ignoring each other, that's not direct fighting."

Rigsby rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and in the Cold War people didn't really fight either but it was still a war."

Van Pelt groaned out of frustration again, and slammed the letter on the table.

"I just don't want to think that two of my friends are going through an already tough situation and now _he_ has to make it worse again. It's always about him! They can never be happy!"

"And that's exactly why we need to tell them."

Van Pelt sighed and sank into the couch.

Straight after they got the letter, they met in the canteen while Jane and Lisbon were in her office and discussed what they should do. Apparently, Van Pelt's apartment was the best place to have these kind of conversations and so they went here.

She wiped at her eyes briefly. She hadn't slept all that well that night due to what they had received the previous day, and she would do anything to get some more sleep.

She looked up at the boys again.

"I just want her to be happy." She noticed her voice going weak which felt strange to her.

Cho nodded, probably thinking the same thing, and Rigsby turned around to run a hand through his hair.

They had the mutual feeling about Jane at the moment. He had told them countless of times that he really did care about Lisbon, but he hadn't showed her and after these lonely six months, they didn't know if they could trust him anymore. They had trusted him before, and he had betrayed that by leaving.

Of course, they weren't angry because of him leaving _them_, but of him leaving _her_. _They_ would survive without him, _she_ wouldn't. They had each other, and while Lisbon was a part of them too, she was the one that cared the most about him – the one that was in love with him, even though she would never admit it out loud. But they knew she wouldn't be able to cope with his absence.

And that was exactly what was shown in these months.

Van Pelt sighed again.

"Guys, I really don't want to tell her."

"And we get that. We have to," Rigsby said, more insistent this time.

She swallowed and looked at the clock that was located above her small TV. It was almost time to leave for work, but she didn't want to leave this without having a mutual agreement on a plan.

"If we wait longer, she and Jordan are going to be hurt because they are not prepared," Cho stated.

And that did Van Pelt in. After all, the last thing that she wanted to happen was her best friend and her best friend's future child to be hurt.

"Fine. We'll tell them."

~OnceUponaChild~

"I'm not going to drag you two out of the car," Lisbon said, as she slammed the car door shut. She smiled though. She liked this playful banter, she had missed it in these months that Jane was gone or acted weird.

Jordan was the first one to jump out of the car, and Jane followed, his shoulders lowered, a pout on his face. Lisbon rolled her eyes.

"Remind me what age you-."

"Forty, but that doesn't mean that I have to behave like that."

"Yes, it does, actually. You don't see me acting like a four-year-old, do you?"

"No but you're a boring person."

She raised her chin and turned around on her heels. She added a little huff and heard Jane chuckling behind her.

God, this felt so good. She hadn't realized before, but this was exactly what she wanted. Light banter and a lot of good kisses. With him, with no one else.

She had tried to make herself believe that she could find someone else to live with, but it was futile in the end. She couldn't just fall out of love like that, she would've never been able to forget about Jane. He would run through her mind every day for the rest of her life, just like he did through her office in real life, and it would actually be pitiful for the man that she convinced herself to be in love with in the future – if she could meet someone like that again.

Because the actual man she was in love with was following her now as an obedient puppy, holding hands with yet another puppy.

Lisbon sighed and greeted Jim as they entered the HQ. He looked surprised at seeing Jordan.

"I didn't know you had a child?"

"He's not our child." Jane and Lisbon had made the agreement that if somebody would ask about it, Jordan was Lisbon's nephew, the son of her brother James. Whom she hadn't spoken to for years but nobody needed to know. They would just convince people that Jordan needed to be looked after because James was out of the country.

Jim frowned, then just smiled and shook his head.

"I'm not even going to ask then. Have a nice day, agent Lisbon."

She mimicked his smile, then heard a disagreeing huff behind her.

"Hello, Jim," Jane pressed out and Lisbon actually chuckled. She couldn't wait to tell him that Jim was no competition at all since _she wasn't his type_.

Actually, now that she thought about it, she really couldn't wait. She turned around, causing Jane to bump into her.

"Jim's gay," was all she said and continued walking. She didn't hear the distinctive sound of Jane's feet behind her, indicating he was actually surprised.

"He's _what_?"

"Oh, you're not familiar with that term? He's not attracted to women, but to men. You know? The same sex-"

"I know what it means. I just didn't know he was gay."

"Patrick Jane, you must be losing your flow."

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?"

She chuckled and headed into the direction of the small restaurant, where the daycare was located.

She hadn't known the entire existence of the daycare up until last night. It turned out Jane used some of his time where he should have been solving a case brooding in the daycare, in the good sense of the word.

He just loved children and it hadn't surprised her that he had believed Jordan's story the moment he told them. Maybe he did want to attempt moving on, he just showed it very poorly.

"So when you're missing us, just tell Jessica here and she'll bring you to us, okay?"

Jordan nodded, and ran off to play with kids his age, which went pretty well. That was the great thing about children, Lisbon supposed: they didn't need someone else's story to have a great time with them. Jordan didn't need to tell kids he was from the future, and even if he did, they would probably not be surprised by it. But he'd had a very clear instruction from Jane and Lisbon that he was not allowed to say he was from the future – that would only bring more attention to him, and there was already a lot of attention for him.

Lisbon felt reluctant about leaving Jordan, but Jane had just chuckled and already moved to lift her when she prevented him from doing so by walking to the direction of the elevators.

"First day of school, huh?" Jane asked, smiling wickedly, and she just slapped his arm.

"I'm fond of that little man already, okay. Just let me."

"Oh, I'll let you, don't worry. I'm merely emphasizing the fact that you would make a good mom. A perfect mom, I'll have you know."

Her smile faltered a bit, and he sighed.

"Teresa, it's true. Don't talk so low of yourself. I've always seen it. Don't take how I treated you as measurement to rate yourself. I've never been more than crap."

"And that's not true-"

"Just for once, could you let me finish my sentence?"

She sighed, and nodded. Just when he was about to continue, the doors opened already and he groaned. He intertwined their hands and pulled her through the halls into the direction of her office.

They totally ignored the team who were already awaiting them in the bullpen.

Jane closed the door behind her, and made her sit down in her office chair. She just let him lead her. She knew him well enough to know that he needed this kind of interaction from time to time – mysterious, leaving out the part where he was supposed to tell her what he was planning on doing.

"Teresa," he said when he turned back towards her, but she shook her head.  
"Patrick, I know."

"No, you don't. You don't Teresa, and for now, that's okay. But you should never think that you're not a wonderful woman, because you are. You're amazing, a perfect person that I don't deserve. And just because I've hurt you, over and over again, doesn't mean that I don't love you with all my heart. You know why I kept pushing you away? Because I was afraid something would happen to you. Loving me is not a good idea, but still you do just that. You and Angela. And you know what happened with her. I wanted to stay away from you, prevent you from the poison that my love is, but I failed. Everything that I did in all these years, it was all a futile attempt to save you from him, but I realize I can't do that." He sighed, and lowered his head. "If he wants to hurt you, he'll get to you no matter what. Even if I had stayed away from you for another ten years, he could've taken you any moment he wanted." He looked up again. "But I can't risk losing you without ever having voiced my feelings."

"Patrick-"

"No, Teresa. I want you to know that it will be difficult, and that I will hurt you-"  
"Patrick-"

"Teresa, will you-"  
"Jane! No! I will _not_ be quiet and listen to what you have to say to me because it doesn't matter! I know all about it! I've been by your side for _ten years_. I know all about your flaws! Dammit Jane!"

She groaned in frustration and jumped up, storming towards him in long, firm strides.

"Dammit," she hissed, and brought her face to in front of his, just inches away. When she continued talking, her voice was nothing more than a whisper, though her cop voice was still in there.

"I don't care that it will be dangerous. I know I'm in danger all the time. Dammit Jane, I'm not some weak princess you have to defend. I'm _not_ your damsel-in-distress you have to safe from the angry dragon or whatever. I can take perfect care of myself, and you in the process. Stop treating me like I'm weak."

"Teresa..." he breathed, and she shook her head. She brought her lips to his, just a brief touch. She put her hand against his cheek when she pulled away, then lowered her hand and intertwined it with his.

"Patrick, I love you, but you have to stop being so damn sad about things and just live for once. With me. Just for once. Please?"

"Teresa, I... I..."

She hushed him by linking their lips, just a brief kiss again, while she gently squeezed his hand. He whimpered, but didn't pull away. He raised his free hand to her neck and pulled her closer.

He tore his lips from hers and went to her neck. "I love you, Teresa."

She closed her eyes and squeezed his hand again. He lifted their intertwined hands and placed a kiss on the top of her hand. She shuddered, and he smiled briefly.

"I don't want to alarm you, my love, but I think your team wants to tell you something," Jane whispered against her ear, and she pulled away slightly.

She looked into the eyes of the team, and it was as though what they had wanted to say slipped away, just like that. It was there one moment, and then it was gone.

"Never mind," Van Pelt said, and pulled the boys with her.

Lisbon shook her head and pushed away completely from Jane, running after the younger agent.

"Van Pelt, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"There is. Grace, tell me what's wrong."

Van Pelt turned around and Lisbon saw there were tears burning in her eyes.

"I just want you to be happy," she whispered, and Lisbon frowned.

"Grace..."

Van Pelt lifted her arm and showed a letter. The only thing it said was...

_Hello Teresa._

Lisbon's eyes grew wide with shock and anger. She glared at the letter, then at the young woman's face, and she immediately started running towards the elevator. She heard Jane following her, and once they were both inside, she started explaining.

"Dammit Jane, he knows."

Jane froze, and stared at her. "About... us or Jordan?"

"About us, at least."

She hugged her body with her arms. The elevator had never went downstairs as slowly as it did now, and she felt trapped, her heart hammering inside her chest. She had to get to Jordan, right _now_.

She pushed herself through the doors as soon as they opened and Jane was hardly able to catch up with her.

She almost broke down crying when she saw Jordan in the corner of the daycare.

"Oh my god," she breathed, and Jane pulled her closer.

He was still there. Alive and kicking. Nothing was wrong.

Her whole body started shaking and Jane's heart clenched a bit. He still hadn't registered everything that was happening but apparently, Lisbon had. She had immediately put pieces together and even though they didn't fit, neither of them had seen that when she had tried fitting them.

And it had been close.

Red John knew about _them_. And that had been the main reason that Jane hadn't wanted to give in to his feelings. Because she now had a bull's eye on her forehead. And on her back, and practically the rest of her body as well.

He shivered and ran a hand through her hair. She was clutching him as though for dear life, and his heart clenched again.

So Red John wanted a fight? He could get one. Because Jane was about to show what he would really do for the people he loved.

~OnceUponaChild~

"Would you do that for us?"

Virgil Minelli looked from Lisbon, to Jane, to the little man in Lisbon's lap, and then to Lisbon again.

"Teresa, I can take a lot, but this-"

"You don't need to believe it. We are going to try and find him, hunt him down if necessary. We need someone we trust looking after Jordan."

Minelli smiled at that. "You trust me?"

Lisbon rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Yes, we do."

"Well, _she_ does," Jane muttered. Lisbon slapped him, not hard but hard enough to hurt.

"I'm flattered you trust me, Teresa." Minelli motioned for Jordan to come over to him and the little boy didn't seem to hesitate, all but falling into the older man's arms.

"I suppose I can watch after my non-existent grandson for a while."

Lisbon smiled. "Thank you."

Then, it sank in what he said, and Lisbon's smile faltered. Minelli chuckled, and shrugged.

"You're like a daughter to me, Teresa. It's only logical that your children are like grandchildren to me."

She continued staring at him with a rather meaningful look, but then smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Thank you, Virgil."

"Anytime, Teresa. Now catch that son of a bitch, please. He's been tormenting you long enough. You deserve happiness now. Oh, and," he said, looking down at Jordan who just smiled up at him, "I think I'll keep Jordan for the night." Then, he gave Jane and Lisbon a wink that caused Lisbon to blush and Jane to avert his eyes, probably to shield his blush as well.

It was doubtful if that was really going to happen this night, knowing Jane and his need for revenge, but who knew?

Lisbon squirmed in the couch a bit and got up, skillfully waving away her embarrassment.

"You coming?" she asked Jane, and he was almost thrown off guard by the speed with which she had pulled herself together, then just reminded himself that this was Teresa Lisbon, and joined her.

They both looked at Minelli and Jordan for a few seconds, before Jordan rolled his eyes. Jane took that as enough prove the boy wanted them to leave and gently grabbed Lisbon's wrist.

When they were outside, Lisbon looked up at him and he saw an emotion he hoped he wouldn't see much in her eyes – fear. He really didn't like that gleam in her eyes, wanted it gone immediately.

"Teresa, it's going to be alright. He's not going to win, okay? Minelli's got Jordan now, he's safe. And we've got each other. No matter what he'll do, he won't get to us. We're much too strong for that. What happened to that strength you were so dead set on showing me in your office?"

She didn't respond, just continued looking into his eyes. Then, her eyes filled with tears and he almost groaned. He didn't like this side of her, and though he knew that this was a side he had to accept as well, he just couldn't find the willpower to do now. He knew he couldn't force her into being strong if she didn't feel like it, but he had been stupid enough to assume that he would have her strength when they would have to face Red John.

"We're never going to have a chance to be happy, right? This is never going to end."

"It is, Teresa. I promise."

"It's not going to end, Jane, I know it. This... it was a mistake. Can't we turn it back somehow?"

"And make all the kisses un-kissed? No way, Teresa. I wouldn't want to miss that."

He sighed. He pulled her to his body and rubbed gentle circles on her back as she softly started sobbing.

"I don't want him destroying everything good we have," she managed to choke out between sobs. "He's been doing that for the past ten years. Now that I finally have you... I don't want to lose you, Patrick. And I don't want you to lose me either."

He gently pushed her into the direction of her car, making her sit on the passenger's seat.

"There's no way in hell you're going to try and face him like this, Teresa. You need to rest."

She shook her head, already wiping her tears away. Damn, she was stubborn.

"No, I can do this-"

"I love you, Teresa, but you can't do this _right now_. Let Cho take over the team, just for a day. Red John's going to win this way."

She shuddered and settled into the car seat, sighing and throwing her head back. He made sure she didn't escape, though he didn't find that likely, and then sat in the driver's seat and started the car.

"Call Cho," he ordered softly, and she hesitated, then nodded.

Fifteen minutes later, the team had been informed about the temporary plan and Jane and Lisbon were inside her apartment again.

While Jane sat on her couch, thinking things through a bit, Lisbon paced through the living room, obviously brooding on something.

She made several attempts to say something, opening her mouth, but closed it at the last time.

"Can this become worse?" she finally asked. He waited until she turned back around and then sighed.

"For us? No. For him? Yes."

"How?"

He opened his mouth, much like she had done the past few minutes. Then, finding no words to describe what he meant, he waved at her to come closer.

She did, and as soon as she was sat beside him, he pushed her down onto the couch with his body, devouring her mouth with his, and she stilled beneath him for just a split-second, but then wriggled her legs away from under his and locked them against his hips.

He went to nuzzle the skin in her neck, that was now his favorite spot on her body but he knew that would change very soon, while roaming his hands over her body. Yet instead of merely roaming, they actually cupped and stroked, gently pushing away fabric in their way.

"Red John is jealous," he whispered, starting on unbuttoning her blouse, and she squirmed beneath him, but not because of reluctance but because of pleasure.

It wasn't like she had any notion of what he was telling her now, but at least she tried to listen to him.

"He's jealous of you," he continued, "because you get my full attention now instead of him." He kissed her earlobe, triggering a moan from her, and she clutched at his shoulder when he lost patience and simply ripped open her blouse. He bowed down to place kisses on her collarbone, in between her breasts. He pulled her up against him and made her blouse slide off her shoulders. His hands immediately went to the clasp of her bra and unhooked it.

"He has always been a pathetic man, Teresa. A pathetic man with a lot of power, but pathetic nonetheless."

He quickly shed his clothes, not even bothering trying to keep them in one piece. He then continued with undressing her and when they were completely naked, hot skin against hot skin, they both shuddered at the same time.

"But he will never be a part of our happiness. I won't let him." He placed a brief kiss on the top of her forehead, then gently grabbed her waist.

"I love you," he whispered, now against her lips, and joined their bodies.

She gasped into his mouth, and clutched at his shoulders again. Her eyes closed out of a mixture of bliss and pain, and he drowned in the sight of Teresa Lisbon lost in pleasure.

He felt tears bubbling up in his eyes, and for once, he didn't fight against them. Just let them spill, falling onto her face, slowly dripping into her soft hair.

He wrapped his arms tight around her and started to thrust, soft, tender strokes, and she whimpered and moaned until moments later, she scratched his back and came, crying out his first name and calling on her deities every time. Her body arched against his, her breasts brushing against his naked skin.

It made him feel light-headed, so much happiness, so much passion, he couldn't take it anymore, but when she pulled him down even more and linked their lips, he felt he could take it again. Her strength radiated from her body and filled up his senses.

He didn't feel like fighting at all but still reluctantly gave in, his orgasm making his body jerk and he collapsed on top of her, not leaving her in any sense of the word. He did have the common sense to relieve a bit of his weight by leaning on his arms a bit, but they were shaking.

"That," he breathed against the skin of her neck, "will make him _very_ jealous."

He linked their lips and soon, their tears mingled and he felt happy to the bones.

When he had calmed down a bit, he made her wrap her legs around his waist and lifted her. She weighed almost nothing, which surely wasn't healthy at all.

He carried her into the bedroom, placing her on the bed and he crashed down beside her, before covering their bodies with the sheets and pulling her against him.

She was suddenly unbelievably cuddly, one of her arms wrapped tightly around him and her face buried in the crook of his neck. Her free hand seemed to be the only part of her that was able to move, gently stroking through his blonde curls.

"Will you just rest now, Teresa, and stop brooding and worrying?"

She nodded slowly, and scooted even closer.

"I love you, Patrick," she managed to murmur, before he felt her relaxing and she was asleep.

He pushed her away, just a bit. Just to look at her.

His heart exploded from glee and happiness, and he had to close his eyes and push her away even more just so he didn't cry. He couldn't, _wouldn't_ cry. She wasn't lost. She was here with him.

She wouldn't die.

He placed her head on her pillow instead of on his shoulder, then slowly and quietly got off the bed and walked into the living room.

He had to lure out Red John, and fast. Neither of them would survive if it took much longer. He had already slipped his walls just now, by making love to her, he couldn't risk getting her killed-

Unless that was the only option. To lure the killer out and finish him off forever.

He started rummaging in Lisbon's closets until he found what he was looking for.

**A/N: Okay so... what do you think is Jane's plan? I'm sorry if this chapter didn't make any sense at all, but at least I tried! ^^**


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update! Oh god I hate myself, but this chapter... I feel so insecure about this one. Maybe that's because the number of reviews for last chapter was less than it was for the first three... but that might be because of other factors... Anyway. I worked on this chapter for three weeks or something and I just didn't feel secure enough to post it but now I do, kinda. **

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, sadly.**

* * *

'_**Once Upon a Child'**_

_**Chapter Five**_

Lisbon awoke with warmth that had filled her body. A gentle hand brushed her hip and an involuntary smile crept up on her face.

She turned onto her back and looked at Jane, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Hey," he whispered softly, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "If you're able to get out of bed, you might see the surprise I have for you downstairs."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not four anymore."

"True, but I think you may enjoy this surprise."

He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose and left the room. She sighed, and followed him. She was never good in waiting for things, which ultimately made her wonder how in hell she could have survived waiting for Jane for so many years.

When she stepped into the living room, she was met with one of her white sheets hanging in the middle, drawing pins used to keep it hanging from the ceiling.

"Jane, what the he-"

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what was actually written on the sheets. She shook her head, and turned around to find Jane. He was leaning against the counter, paintbrush in his hand. There was no smile on his face, but when he lifted his eyes to look at her, she knew he was smiling internally.

"I know it's a little fast, and hell, you deserve so much more but I can't wait any longer, Teresa." He lifted the paintbrush and she moved closer. "Just so you know, this is because I love you very much-"

"It's okay, Patrick," she whispered, and took the paintbrush from him. She walked over to the sheet.

She admired the attempt, to be honest, it made her love Jane even more because it was simple and not over-the-top. Perhaps he knew that she wouldn't like all these overly romantic crap, and the fact that he knew that just explained everything about their relationship.

In beige paint, which she remembered had been located somewhere in her closets after she had redecorated her apartment a few years prior, was written 'Will you marry me, Teresa?'. Underneath that were two little boxes, one that had 'yes' in front of it and the other with 'no'. She smiled. That he even had the courage to give her the chance to choose no – he knew she wouldn't be able to deny him.

She took in a deep breath and filled in the box in front of 'yes'. She turned back around to Jane, who swallowed and smiled sweetly.

He approached her and put his hands on her waist, sighing contently.

"Oh, just one thing, though."

He smiled, as though he knew what she was going to say.

"No matter how original that proposal was, _you_ are the one going to wash that sheet because I'm not doing it."

He chuckled, and brushed her cheek.

"It's dangerous... so, so dangerous. But I'm..." He took in a deep breath. "I'm so much in love that everything seems okay. As long as I can be with you and try to make you happy, I'm happy too. I realized this night that it's maybe _too_ dangerous, I should have realized this before we started this boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but I was too blind for that at that moment. And now... I can't stop thinking of what I'll become if he takes you away from me. And the worst thing of all is that I can't really think of the impact of all of that if we hadn't been together if that ever were to happen. I can't live without you and I would do anything to protect you from harm. I know it's stupid, you're perfectly capable of doing that yourself but it makes my conscience a bit calmer."

He lowered his hand and placed it on her waist again, pulling her against him but still giving her space to look at him.

"We have to lure him out, Teresa." He kissed the tip of her nose, then stepped away from her to retrieve something lying on the kitchen counter. He handed it to her – it was a letter.

She read it real quickly, then frowned and looked up.

"That's why Jordan is here?"

He nodded.

"And you want to stop him by marrying me?"

"If that's possible, then yes. It's going to take way too long if we don't give him something to work with. And I don't want to wait before he is gone to start a new life with you. I want him gone, out of the picture, so I can entirely focus on _you_, and not having to worry about your safety any longer." When she lowered her head, biting her lower lip, he put his finger under her chin and made her look up.

"I didn't propose to you because of him, Teresa, not entirely," he whispered. "The first thought when I picked up this ring was you, and not him. I proposed to you because I love you. It just came a little sooner, but I don't think you mind."

She smiled softly, and shook her head.

"For what it's still worth, I'll be by your side," Lisbon whispered. He resisted the urge to cry – she was perfect. So perfect. He didn't deserve her, but yet, here she was.

"And it might seem strange, considering it's _your_ plan, but I actually think this is a good plan."

He chuckled, and pulled her to him completely, burying his nose in her hair.

"We should call Minelli, to check on Jordan," he whispered, and she sighed. She didn't try to move away from him though, so he rolled his eyes and pushed her away instead.

"Really, call him. I know you want to know how they're doing."

She nodded again and walked over to the phone.

"Oh, and I'm sure they're fine. Just saying." She rolled her eyes.

"Thanks for that, that was really useful."

He shrugged.

He became more aware of her beauty the longer he was in her presence. And he had noticed that that had exactly been the reason that he had tried to avoid her for so long. He didn't trust himself anymore, he knew it could escalate quickly and that he would sit in her office, hour after hour, staring at her, instead of brooding in his attic about ways to get closer to Red John.

At least now he knew that he wouldn't be able to brood for so long anymore. Now that he knew she would go as far as to marrying him. He hadn't quite been secure about his proposal, especially now that they actually had to catch Red John. But he had done in nonetheless.

And he had found that what he had told her was true. Just before she had entered the living room, he had thought of pulling the sheet down and abandoning the plan at the last moment, but he couldn't. It wasn't necessarily because of Red John anymore, he just didn't want to live with regrets if his world came crashing down again.

_If_ Red John would get Lisbon, and _if_ he would kill her, at least now Jane had done most of the things he had dreamt of doing with her. Kissing her, making love to her. Experiencing how it must be like to have a child together, knowing what that child might look like. Tasting that domestic life with her he hadn't quite thought he would get with her.

He'd had it all now, and though he would be too happy if he could live with her for the next forty years or so, at least when all came crashing down, he wouldn't have regrets. Sure, he would regret not having been smarter and not having been able to protect her, but he would have a bit of satisfaction. He now knew what she felt like, and how she tasted and what she looked like when pleasure took over her mind and body.

He sighed, and sat down on the armrest of the couch, looking as Lisbon talked with what appeared to be Minelli – if it had been Jordan, she would use her motherly voice.

A small smile crept on his face. He loved her. Loved her with all he had.

And he would die if she did.

"Tell him I love him," Lisbon said, and smiled a bit before saying her goodbyes and hanging up.

"They're fine," she said, her smile creeping into her voice as well, and he felt his smile widening even more.

"See? I told you."

"Yeah, I know. I just know Red John long enough to be able to get his ways of working a bit. I was just afraid that I knew it too well."

He nodded. He understood what she meant. But Red John was too smart for that. Now that he knew that they had a slight understanding of his methods, he would most likely change them and that wouldn't be all that good for them. He just hoped Red John realized this too late.

Lisbon sighed, and squirmed a bit, her clothes obviously uncomfortable against her skin. He knew why that was, and when he looked at her with a knowing smile, she blushed.

"Hush," she muttered. He chuckled.

"Hey, it's fine." He approached her and wrapped his arms around her. "We should invite the team over to discuss our plan."

She nodded. "I just wish this was all over already. That he was already gone. I'm... I'm not afraid of my own life, but yours and Jordan's. He is just seven, he won't be able to protect himself if Red John wants to hurt him. And you... you're strong, but I'm... I'm afraid it will get too emotional for you..." She took in a deep breath, and he noticed she was shuddering, little tears filling her eyes.

"I love you, I don't want to lose you," she whispered, and he closed his eyes.

"Teresa, you won't. You won't lose me. Never. I'm afraid you're stuck with me for eternity."

She rolled her eyes, but wiped at her eyes to rid them of her tears. "That's supposed to scare me?"

He chuckled. "I'm not sure. Let me check."

He bowed down and kissed her, amused at the little whimpering sound she made. She wrapped her arms fully around his neck though, and they just stood there, kissing for a few minutes before they heard her phone vibrating on the table. She groaned and they parted with a sexy smacking noise.

They didn't say anything. Instead, she turned towards the table and answered the phone call.

"Lisbon."

"Teres-_a-a-a_," Jane whined as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She groaned and tried to continue her conversation, and he heard a soft chuckle at the other end.

"Grace, we'll be at the office in forty minutes."

She put down her phone and turned in his arms, her eyes shooting fire.

"If we're gonna continue like this-"

"Forty minutes, that gives us enough time." He pulled her close and kissed the skin in her neck. She moaned softly and he knew she wouldn't fight him now.

~OnceUponaChild~

Van Pelt sighed. She couldn't get rid of that double feeling she was having now.

She knew what Lisbon and Jane were doing now. You didn't need to be a mentalist to figure that out. And of course, the way Jane had complained about the fact that Lisbon was talking to her and Lisbon saying they would come in forty minutes while it was a ten minute drive to the CBI from her apartment wasn't all that subtle either.

She almost got the feeling those two were planning something – and not just an addition to the family.

This situation felt like watching them making out on an open spot somewhere in the woods and at the same time seeing Red John luring at them from the bushes. This didn't feel right... it didn't feel right, at all. She wanted to call the Boss and tell her what she was feeling about this, since she knew she would always appreciate hearing her team's opinion about things, but this was _personal_. The Boss never liked discussing her personal life, much less hear other people deciding over what to do with it.

She groaned out of pure frustration. What was she going to do now? She couldn't simply take initiative if she wanted to live to tell the tale.

"You can send them a text," Cho said, not taking his eyes off his screen.

Van Pelt didn't even bother with trying to be nice – he was just sitting there like nothing of this was worrying him! Red John could be attacking them _at this very moment_, but by the looks of it, he didn't care about anything.

"So you suggest we just casually send them a text while Red John could be hurting one of them right now?"

"He won't do that."

"Oh no, of course he won't, because _you_ say so? Because not everything you say is true, _Cho_. Lisbon is my best friend and Jane is a good friend and I don't want anything to happen to them, not now they're finally together after so many years. I want them to... to do what they are probably doing now, but-"

"Grace," Rigsby interrupted, and she almost gasped, then took in a few deep breaths.

"I'm going to check on Minelli," she said, her voice an octave higher than usual.

"Grace," Rigsby said again. She actually let out a loud and involuntarily 'WHAT?', then saw that Rigsby was just as calm as Cho had been.

"With the Boss' moves and Jane's brain, nothing can go wrong."

She rolled her eyes, but she knew he was right. If they needed help, they would ask for back-up, dispatch if necessary. They would be fine.

She couldn't stop staring at her phone though. If they called, she would answer even before her ringtone could start ringing. That was when a lot of long minutes later, she felt it coming, picked up her phone and already pressed the button to accept the call.

"Van Pelt," she said hurriedly.

"Jane said you would be worried, so I'm calling to check."

Van Pelt let out a loud sigh of relief – _thank god_, they were still alive.

"God dammit, Jane, get your hands off me, I'm driving."

"But you're on the phone."

"Yeah so? I can do two things at a time."

"Technically speaking, when I put my hand on your kn-"

"Grace, we're fine, we're on our way. Did you check on Minelli and Jordan?"

Van Pelt couldn't help but smile throughout the complete banter of Jane and Lisbon. She knew they had hooked up now, in every sense of the word, but it was great to hear they hadn't changed much – if only, they had gotten their refreshing banter back which Van Pelt had missed the past few months.

"I did, they're just fine. Minelli still doesn't understand how Jordan could be here."

"He's not the only one. We're almost there, Grace."

"Okay."

With that, Lisbon hung up and Van Pelt left staring at her phone. It still didn't feel okay.

~OnceUponaChild~

He put the phone down.

"Well well well. This is such interesting news."

Minelli didn't look up at the man, just pulled Jordan closer to him. The little boy was scared, and quite understandable.

"Don't you want to know what's so interesting, Agent _Minelli_?"

"No, I'm not, quite frankly."

"Okay. Well, _I_'m interested. One of my... informants, _informed_ me that Patrick proposed to Teresa. Isn't that exciting?"

Minelli felt a gush of warmth spread through him. It was about time that Jane took his head out of the sand.

Now was not the moment for him to celebrate the fact that his 'daughter' was getting married to the man she loved – now, it was time to protect their future child.

Red John groaned again and got out the phone, looking at Minelli for a few seconds, then shook his head and answered it – Minelli felt his blood run cold.

"Hello Teresa," the killer said, his voice eerily calm. He was silent for a long time, then he grinned wickedly. "Yes, you're right, they're here. Oh, but don't worry, I won't hurt them – yet."

The killer's grin only widened as he listened to Teresa on the other side of the conversation. Jordan looked up at Minelli, he could feel it against his arm.

"Don't worry, kiddo, they will be here, I'm sure."

The killer rolled his eyes, getting annoyed with Teresa quite obviously.

"I will be waiting for you, Beautiful." With that, he ended the phone call and sighed at Minelli and Jordan.

"Was that Mommy?" Jordan asked. The killer narrowed his eyes at the boy but didn't answer him. He put the phone on a table and paced the room. If Minelli wasn't mistaken, the killer was getting hyped up. Perhaps he had noticed that Patrick and Teresa were getting closer and closer and he was just excited for the final showdown.

Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"Yes."

"What did she say?"

The killer left the room without saying anything. Minelli pulled the boy closer to him.

"Your parents are getting married."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Duh, old news. They're married where I come from."

Minelli smiled. "I know. I wish they were married now, though."

Jordan nodded. "It's strange to see them not married."

"I can imagine."

Jordan sighed and closed his eyes. They stayed like that for a while, until Jordan had had enough of the silence.

"There's a baby in Mommy's belly where I come from, you know that?"

"Really?" That was odd. He was happy for them, but eight years into the future... then Teresa would be almost 46 – older, even. That was an age that most people stopped having children. Then again, Patrick and Teresa were fairly old when they started having a family in general, so he supposed it was okay then. It was still weird, though.

"So you like having a younger brother or sister?"

"Of course I do," Jordan whispered. "I always wanted a little brother."

"But what if it's going to be a girl?"  
He shrugged. "I think I can be mean to her."

He chuckled.

That's when Red John decided to join again.

"If you want to kill me, just do it now."

"Oh, but Virgil, it's not _you_ I want." The killer's glance switched from Minelli's to Jordan's and Minelli instinctively pulled the boy closer. "It's the boy I'm more interested in."

Jordan shook his head. "My Mommy will come and safe us and then-"

"How adorable. Let me tell you this, son: they won't come. They're too busy with each other to care about you-"

"That's not true! They love me and Grandpa Virgil and I know that they are going to safe us!"

The killer pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he looked up and sighed.

"All right. Then I just have to kill you now."

* * *

**A/N: Phew! So! What did you think? ^^ (I love Minelli so I will do anything to keep Red John from killing him, don't worry.)**

**Oh, and thanks to my lovely muse Erica for helping me out so much and encouraging me to post the chapter! I love you, dearie!**

**Next chapter: Lisbon's POV with the phone call, will the team be able to find out where Red John, Minelli and Jordan are before it's too late?**


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N: Okay, so first of all: OMIGOD I'M SO SORRY FOR LEAVING THIS STORY UNUPDATED FOR THIS LONG BUT I WAS INSPIRATIONLESS, LIKE, COMPLETELY RENDERED OF ANY IDEAS FOR THIS STORY. So, now you know how I feel about that part... then, when I tried to write this chapter, I noticed I had written some strange things at the end of the previous chapter, causing me to twist the team in some awkward positions to get the story to make sense... so sorry if it still doesn't make any sense, but I tried, at least.**

**Mind the language, though. It was needed.**

**AND Minelli and Red John are... weird, together. Just... ugh.**

**And thanks for the help from my lovely friends over at Tumblr! Emma, I loved your support, you made this chapter make sense again! And everybody who supported me with getting this chapter up... thanks a bunch!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. Sadly. Not even the idea is mine. It's Erica's! Not Erica Flynn, another Erica, an awesome Erica. My muse Erica.**

* * *

'_**Once Upon a Child'**_

_**Chapter Six**_

Jane almost ran out of the car so that he could open Lisbon's door – she just pinched his nose.

"Ouch!"

She walked to the elevators and once again, he was being the complete gentleman, first running in front of her to let her get in first.

"God dammit, Jane, how many times do I need to pinch your nose?"

He grinned. "I don't know. Try me."

She just glared at him, exasperated. Then when the doors of the elevator opened again, she stormed outside. He followed her, like a stray cat would follow his finder. He knew he was too dependent on her from time to time, but was that bad? At least she knew that he would always go back to her if he needed help. It wasn't like _that_ was a good thing – but it created some continuity in their lives.

Van Pelt signal boosted the entire bullpen together, it seemed, when both of them came into sight.

"I got a text from an unknown number and I think I know who it is but I'm not sure and I tried to track it down already but it's turned off so it doesn't work. I think it was Jordan or Minelli and it looked really panicky and I'm worried that something is wrong with him and this doesn't seem good."

Well... that didn't sound reassuring at all.

Lisbon frowned, partly confusion, partly concern. "Okay, calm down first. When did you get the text?"

"I think half a minute after you hung up the phone."

Lisbon nodded. "Could you track down Minelli's phone?"

"Yeah, I guess." The redhead hesitated a bit. Lisbon squeezed her shoulder gently, which seemed to encourage her enough to track down the location.

Lisbon looked at Jane – for some reason, both knew what was going on. They just didn't want to assume the worst. It could be just a misunderstanding, right?

No, probably not. But they didn't want to assume-  
"Got it."

Lisbon was standing behind Van Pelt within a split-second and looked at where the signal apparently came from – the docks. That was nowhere near where Minelli's house was.

"Okay, call the number."

Van Pelt did and handed Lisbon the phone. After a few beeps, she heard a voice that didn't sound like Minelli's at all.

"Hello Teresa."

She exchanged looks with Jane. He closed his eyes.

_Okay, stay calm now, Teresa Lisbon. No need to let the bastard know you're worried shitless._

"You got them, don't you." It was not a question – she knew it anyway. This was what happened when she and Jane didn't pay enough attention.

"Yes, you're right, they're here. Oh, but don't worry, I won't hurt them – yet."

_God freaking dammit._

"Listen you creep, if you do anything to Virgil or Jordan, I swear I'm gonna pull your lungs out of your body with my bare hands. You hear me?"

She got no reply. Jane was actually staring at her after her very descriptive way of intimidating the killer – the rest of the team was trying not to smile out of pride – not that it would be a good thing if she actually gave in to her urges to kill Red John as gruesomely as possible, but it was the thought that counted.

She didn't know where it came from either; probably her body trying to calm her down.

"We know where you are, we'll be with you in a few minutes."

"I will be waiting for you, Beautiful."

A shudder ran up her spine, and before she could say anything else, the line went dead.

She was already barking orders at the team, trying to keep up the tough cop appearance, while in fact, she _was_ scared and worried shitless. Her surrogate father and her baby were in danger and it was all out of her control – and she hated to lose control.

~...~

"_All right. Then I just have to kill you now."_

"You don't get to decide something like that," Minelli tried to reason after he had found his voice. The serial killer just shrugged.  
"I do, actually. What power do you have now, Agent Minelli? You're an old man, it's been a long while since you last fought someone in a face-to-face battle, and Jordan is just a kid. He can't fight for himself."

Minelli looked down at Jordan who was almost crushing a couple of his bones in his need to be closer to him.

The killer had a point though – with the two of them, there would be no way in hell they could defeat him. Minelli might have been a capable cop once, but that had been years ago. And Jordan was more likely to run away, screaming and crying for his mother, than to fight – not that Minelli would blame him.

So he had only one option left – stalling.

"You have a valid point there," Minelli said. The killer smiled faintly, as though he didn't care about the compliment but appreciated it anyway. "But isn't this a very... _unfair_ battle?"

That caught the killer's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... you obviously have an advantage here. I'm an old man; Jordan is an unskilled young boy..." No, he was not; he knew that from the small sparring games they'd had just before Red John had caught them. But for now, he just had to lie and say that Jordan was not at all the very picture of his mother. "But all the women you kill on a daily basis... I'm sure they are stronger than we are. So it takes more effort to kill them... and if you kill me and Jordan, you'll go down as a very unsympathetic serial killer." Did he even make sense here? His mind was going into overload, he couldn't handle the stress, but he had to stall, _had to stall_. Teresa would be here any moment, he knew that for sure. "Do you want that? You've got such a good reputation now. I wouldn't ruin that for something like this... I would rather invite Jane over and kill us in front of him. And Teresa."

The killer was staring at him for a few seconds. Then, an evil smile spread on his features. "Hey... that's actually not a bad idea." He smiled brighter. "Are you sure you don't see yourself pursuing a killer's career?"

"If you do your job, I don't think I'll have much of a career anyway."

Was it really this easy? Had he really managed to fool the killer this fast? For someone who had managed to kill over thirty people without ever being caught, he sure was stupid as fuck.

Red John grinned at him.

"Then I'd better prepare the party for when my good friend Patrick arrives, huh?"

"Be my guest," Minelli shrugged. The man walked out of the room, still with a big smile on his face. Jordan looked up at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Your parents are probably on their way to here. I know you're a very strong and tough boy, but this man is really dangerous and I don't know if you can-"

"I know, Grandpa Virgil."

Minelli sighed and pulled the boy against his chest.

"Whatever that man says, Jordan, they will be here. Mummy will be a bad ass cop, and daddy... won't be a bad ass cop, but he'll be there to hug you when everything is done."

Jordan didn't say anything, just nodded.

_Dear God, Teresa. Just end this, once and for all._

~...~

Cho insisted to drive – Lisbon was too hyped up to notice traffic happening around her. So now she was sitting in a car that was going way too fast, with Jane next to her.

She turned her head slightly to look at him. If she could sufficiently read his expression, he was feeling the same things she was. He grabbed her hand.

"He will be fine. _They_ will be fine, I know it," he tried to reassure her, but his voice said different things. She squeezed his hand.

If only she could believe what he was saying.

They arrived at the warehouse they were getting the signals from, and Lisbon's nerves even grew, almost exploding into her own face. She had to continue this, for the sake of her father-figure and future child's lives. If she didn't carry this on, they would be dead already. She _had_ to try.

Jane pulled her aside just as she moved to follow Cho and the guys into the building. She glared at him but when she saw his expression she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Please be careful, Teresa," he whispered. "I can't lose you, too."

"Jane, I'm a cop, I-"

"Please, Teresa, just take care of yourself out there, please."

She bit her lower lip and nodded, slowly.

"I will," she whispered, but her voice croaked. She coughed, softly. "I will, Patrick."

He nodded back and kissed her forehead. Then, Cho's voice broke the moment, calling her with the team. She ran over to them and before she entered the building, she turned around and looked at him one more time.

He was standing in front of the car, helplessly, his hands hanging by his sides. Even from this distance, she could see they were trembling – his whole body was trembling.

Swallowing, she entered the building, facing god knows what.

~...~

"Jordan," Minelli whispered, "why don't you sleep a bit? I'll hold you, okay? I'll be here when you wake again."

The boy was hesitating; Minelli could see it in his eyes. _Please, Little One, just go to sleep, and you'll miss all the horrible things that are to follow._ He knew they were on their way to here – and they would all be carrying their guns. And Red John was their enemy. He didn't need to be a former cop to put two and two together and know what would happen.

He didn't want Jordan to see that. Never.

Eventually, all the stress and worries wore down on Jordan and his eyes slowly closed. Minelli tightened his hold on the boy and took a deep breath. Poor young soul. Poor all souls, to be precise. And all because of this... man. Because that was all Red John was in the end – just a man. Not a monster. Not a dragon. Just a man.

But a man with an evil mind and soul. A man who could not stand seeing other people happy because he himself could not succeed at being happy either.

Minelli hated his guts.

Just half an hour later, he heard sounds from outside. Red John had heard too – he came into the room. Minelli prayed to god that Jordan would not awake now.

The killer looked at him. Yes, they had both heard.

"So they're here now, huh?" Red John asked. Minelli wanted to shrug but then realized Jordan was leaning against his chest, so he pulled the corners of his lips down.

"I don't know, you tell me."

Red John glared at him, then sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

That's when Minelli saw – he was getting scared. He wasn't ready to give up this game he had been playing for the past decade; it had been imprinted into his life. He enjoyed the thrill way too much and he was becoming an addict – he needed it to feel happy, content. Minelli understood him; it was much like being a cop, but then at the wrong side of life.

But then again, Minelli was glad that Red John was getting tired of this whole hunt between him and Jane. It had been going on for too long now and it was about time both of them got their freedom.

Jordan stirred slightly in Minelli's arms. He looked down – the boy was still vast asleep.

"Do you think Patrick enjoyed our game?"

Now, Minelli felt himself go angry all of a sudden. How dare he think that Jane enjoyed being tortured this much?

"The only person enjoying your sick little game was you. The only thing it caused Patrick was to feel bad about himself and not move on from his family's deaths. If you hadn't chased him down for so many years after you had brutally killed them, he maybe would have had a chance at moving on but no; you kept on preventing him from doing just that. It was all thanks to _you_ that he fell into a depression and never got out of it again. It wasn't because of himself but he did think it was. If you had just left him alone after those horrible murders, he would be living together with Teresa now, the only person he loved after his wife. He couldn't move on with her because he feared you would hurt her and she was the only person who mattered for him. And you're asking me whether he _enjoyed_ your hunt?" He huffed. "_No_, of course he didn't, you moron! It is scum like you that makes our society so cold!"

The killer was with him in a mere second and he instantly had his hand wrapped around his neck.

"What did you just say?" Red John asked his voice eerily calm. Not the calm you want someone to hold in their voice when they are holding you in such a way that one wrong move will kill you.

"I said you're scum and it would be better if you were dead."

"Oh really?"

"Yes!"

His hold on his neck tightened and Minelli was beginning to feel light-headed. _Please, Teresa, make this fast_, Minelli thought, _I don't want to die here._

"Don't think that you or any of your friends will win this game, you despicable old man," Red John spat. Minelli knew he had ruined his 'bond' with the man by telling him to bug off, but it had to be done. He wanted the man to know what he had caused everybody with his sick games, but especially what he had cast upon Patrick.

The hold tightened and tightened until Minelli's sight began to blur, but still he didn't give in and didn't give the man the pleasure of seeing his agony. He knew that serial killers were all about seeing people in pain and taking pleasure out it – and he knew that they wouldn't stop as long as they still got that pleasure. No way was he going to encourage this behavior.

"I hope you burn in hell," Minelli breathed with the last ounce of breath he had left. The door was kicked in but he didn't see the rest anymore – he passed out.

~...~

The first thing Lisbon saw as she kicked in the door and ran inside the room was the two bodies against the wall. She felt her world collapse underneath her feet but was quickly pulled out of this emotion by the man who smiled wickedly at her. Her nausea was pushed aside and was replaced by anger – boy, so much anger she actually did not hold back one bit when she kicked him underneath his chin, knowing that would cause him to be knock-out. And fair enough, he fell back until his head hit the floor with a deafening thud.

"That'll leave a mark," she muttered. She rushed to Minelli and Jordan. "No no, please, don't be-"

Jordan's opened as he heard her name. She almost cried out in relief and pulled him closer.

"Oh God... oh thank God." Jordan was still confused but gave in to his mother's hug anyway. She heard the guys focusing on the man she had just kicked knock out.

She wasn't glad she hadn't killed him, but she knew it was the best. She'd want him to suffer in a jail for the rest of his life rather than have his life killed almost prematurely. It wasn't fair, Jane had suffered for a decade, so the least she could do to make them equal was let Red John suffer just as much – but she'd much rather have him in prison for the rest of his life.

"Mummy?" Jordan whispered, his voice quite soft. She had to focus to hear it.

"Yes?"

"Is grandpa dead?"

Her breath caught in her throat – no, she wanted to say no so badly, but she didn't know. She pulled him closer until his head was buried in between her breasts.

"I don't know, Jordan." She dragged herself and Jordan a few inches more over the floor so she could reach Minelli. As she raised her hand to feel for a pulse, she noticed it was shaking. Before she could touch his skin, she felt someone kneeling down beside her. When she looked up, she saw it was Cho.

He didn't say anything, unsurprisingly. Instead, he felt Minelli's neck for her. They were silent for a few seconds and she could feel her shirt getting wet – _don't say he's dead. I won't be able to take it. And neither would Jordan._

Cho nodded. "He's just unconscious."

Lisbon let out a huge sigh of relief as she pulled her little man even closer to her chest, until she was sure she would smother him, but still she pulled him closer and closer.

"We'll take him back to the HQ. I called an ambulance for Minelli, you stay here with him."

It was weird because in any normal situation, Lisbon would have smacked him on the head so hard he wouldn't be able to think rationally for a whole week for taking charge of a situation without her consent – now, she adored him for doing so and for giving her the support she needed.

As she turned around to look at how Cho handcuffed the man who had haunted Jane's mind for so long, she almost passed out. A gun was pointed at her head. Her worries for her child and for Minelli had made her reflexes too slow, but just when she saw the man tightened his hold on the trigger, his eyes widened and he fell to the floor again.

"That's for the past decade, you son of a bitch." At the time, she hadn't known whose voice it had been. It had only been afterwards that she realized it had been Cho.

She turned around slightly to look as they still handcuffed the man. She couldn't say anything, just stared as they lifted him into the air and dragged him out of the dark basement.

"Jordan..." she whispered softly. He looked up, his cheeks wet with tears. She swallowed and wiped the wetness away. "Jordan, grandpa is not dead. He's just sleeping."

"But... but why..."  
"He was just really tired, Sweetheart. Will you stay with grandpa? I'll go get daddy."

The little boy sniffed a bit more but then nodded, wrapping his arms tightly around Minelli. She got up quickly and ran outside, meeting a very anxious Jane.

He instantly embraced her tightly when he saw her. She wrapped her arms around his neck just as tightly as he did and kissed his temple briefly.

"It's over, Jane," she whispered. "We got him."

He ran his hand through her long locks and sighed in relief. "Yes we did."

She didn't see the big smile on his lips as he pulled her closer and closer until she was feeling light-headed.

~...~

Jane pulled the sheets up to just beneath Minelli's head and sighed softly. The man was too tired to say anything and soon slipped into a peaceful sleep.

"You wouldn't say he's only sixty-five," Jane commented. "Right now, it looks like he's somewhere in his nineties."

Lisbon groaned and smacked his arm. She didn't say anything, though, just looked at the sleeping man.

"According to his doctors, he just needs some rest. This whole ordeal hasn't been well on his heart."

She nodded and sighed, kissing Minelli's hand. Jordan pulled on her pants and she smiled softly.

"Is grandpa Virigil just sleeping again, Mummy?"

"Yes of course, Jordan. He isn't old enough to die of old age."

"But he _is_ old. Just not old _enough_?"

Lisbon chuckled and looked at Jane, who smiled as well.

"Be careful, Sir, he might be able to hear you."

"_Mummy_," Jordan wined, "he's _asleep_. Of course he can't hear me."

"Okay. Well that's fine then."

Jordan nodded and smiled brightly, proudly, his arms crossed against his chest. Then, he reached for his backpack, taking something out. Lisbon frowned and looked at Jane, who had a similar expression on his face. It was only discernible for her, of course, since she knew him better than he knew himself.

Jordan handed whatever he had taken from his bag to Lisbon.

She frowned even more and looked at the object; it was a letter.

"I had to give you this when you had beaten Red John. Read it, Mummy."

She nodded and opened the letter.

_Dearest Teresa,_

_Thanks for so much. You made me a better man, like you claimed I made you a better cop. Without you, I wouldn't have had a reason of living. You helped me with so much, just being there made it all worth it. Thank you so much for helping me catch him, so I could put Angela and Charlotte behind me and move on from this dreadful decade. I can now focus entirely on you, which I've wanted to do for so many years now. I love you, everything about you. And I hope from now on, you'll allow me to love you to the fullest._

_Your Patrick._

She swallowed and had to fight against her tears. She looked up at Jordan who was too curious to read what was in the letter. She looked at Jane who was strangely distanced from what was happening.

"Did Daddy from the future give you this, Jordan?" she asked. Jordan stared at her, then at Jane, then at her again. He shook his head.

"This daddy did."

Her eyes widened as she looked at Jane again. He smiled softly as he looked out of the window. She moved over to him but instead of pinching him, something everybody expected her to do, she made him turn his head and bowed down to kiss his lips.

"I love you too," she whispered against his lips, "and you can love me any moment of every day from now on."

He smiled and brushed her cheek. He then looked at Jordan and nodded. The little boy gave her another letter and she rolled her eyes.

"Damn I won't survive you."

Jane chuckled but pulled her into his lap.

She started reading the second letter.

_Hello there,_

_So now you've caught Red John, I presume – thank you so much, all three of you._

_I don't know if it crossed your mind already, but Jordan can't come back to the future. You don't have a time machine yet so he has to stay with you. Not that I think you would mind, but it's something to keep in your mind._

_Thanks so much for taking this seriously and preventing something horrible from happening for us._

_Oh, and Teresa; you're beautiful. Just so you know._

_Yours truly, Future Jane and Future Teresa. (And Jordan!)_

"So I have to stay here?" Jordan asked, his voice laced with a subtle enthusiasm that made Lisbon smile. He had moved to behind Jane so he could read with Lisbon – just like Jane was reading the letter with her as well.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

He ran to the middle of the room and started dancing.

"I wonder why he's so happy to stay here. Is anything different?" Jane whispered in her ear.

She smiled. "Perhaps his dad is young enough to play football with him after school now. Oh well, _young_..."

He pinched her side. "You evil woman."

She leaned back against his chest as she observed Jordan dancing and cheering for God knows what. Jane's arms wrapped around her from behind her.

Strange. A week ago, her life was a living hell and she knew it would only get worse when she and Jane would have a relationship (even though she had already been in love with the man for almost a decade, for crying out loud), and now? She was engaged to him, had a beautiful child with him all of a sudden _and_ they had taken down Red John. All of those things she could not dare to hope for.

Could life get any better?

~...~

Minelli was recovering slowly. It turned out Red John had put something in the water, some sort of weaker poison. Jordan's body had instantly gotten rid of it because he was young and strong – Minelli's body wasn't in the same shape and he needed some more time. He had woken up, though, after a day or so.

Everyone had been happy to hear him speak again, even Jane although he didn't show it as much as the other two. Minelli knew he and Jane had had some... rough times, causing the blonde to not like him all the way. But in the end, they respected each other. And yes – Minelli loved him as well. As a son-in-law.

Teresa entered the room. She was smiling from ear to ear. As she sat down beside him, she grabbed his hand and lifted it briefly to kiss it. Her smile would not leave her face, as though it was plastered to her features and was something that would follow her around everywhere. He had to admit that it wasn't an unpleasant shift in moods, in fact, it was a very good one. It was about time she got a reason to smile.

He rolled his eyes. She just didn't say anything else, merely looked at him with that... _look_.

"Don't say anything," he said. Her eyes twinkled. "You're pregnant."

She bit her lip as her smile grew even wider and she looked down at the floor. She laughed softly.

She nodded.

"I'm happy for you, dear Teresa. But you didn't have to instantly drop by me to notify me. I think Jane deserved to hear it first."

She rolled her eyes. Damn, he knew he had been spending way too much time with Jane, but he couldn't help it. This one was obvious.

"Oh but I'm sure he already knows, knowing him."

Minelli smiled. "Touché."

Not three seconds later, the devil himself walked inside the room. As soon as he looked up to the two smiling faces, he frowned.

"What's going on? Did I miss something?"

It was silent for a while. He really didn't know? That would be the first time ever that Patrick Jane didn't catch something as obvious as this. He always noticed every tiny detail there was to be seen, especially when it came to his beloved Teresa. Surely he had seen, right?  
Then Jane smiled mischievously and approached her, pulling her to her feet.

"Ah, this is about you being pregnant? Well that's not a surprise, is it? I knew before any of you did."  
"Of course you did. Because you're the Boy Wonder?" Minelli mocked. Jane's smile faltered a bit as he looked at him.

"No. I'm just being observant." Then he focused on the love of his life again. He wrapped his arms around her, just above her great butt and lifted her into the air, until she was begging him to put her down.

He did, kissing her lips so passionately Minelli felt the urge to call a nurse and be transported to another room.

"I love you, Teresa," Jane whispered against her lips. "Long before Jordan showed up." He put a hand on her not yet swollen belly. "I swear, on the precious lives of our beautiful children."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so that was this story! Hope you enjoyed it! It sure was a tough ride and it took me quite some tears and blood to write this (Emma told me not to mention this but hey, why else did it take me this long, huh?) but I finished it! And I'm pleased!**

**Anyway, please let me know what you thought of this chapter, or this entire story in general, in a REVIEW, please. It would mean a lot to me!**


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